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> <channel><title>Gurl.com &#187; cell phone</title> <atom:link href="http://www.gurl.com/tag/cell-phone/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /><link>http://www.gurl.com</link> <description>A teen site and community for teenage girls</description> <lastBuildDate>Tue, 21 May 2013 23:34:22 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency> <generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1</generator> <item><title>12 GIFs To Show Signs That You&#8217;re Addicted To Your Cell Phone</title><link>http://www.gurl.com/2013/04/04/addicted-to-cell-phone-signs/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=addicted-to-cell-phone-signs</link> <comments>http://www.gurl.com/2013/04/04/addicted-to-cell-phone-signs/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:50:50 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Meg Malone</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[For Laughs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[addiction]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cell phone]]></category> <category><![CDATA[gifs]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.gurl.com/?p=105436</guid> <description><![CDATA[We&#8217;ve asked you before if you&#8217;re addicted to your social media, but today we&#8217;re wondering about the relationship between you and your cell phone in particular. Why? Well, it&#8217;s the cell phone&#8217;s 40th birthday! Clearly cell phones play a big role in our life, but it is easy to forget that just decades ago they &#8230; <a
class="read-more" href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/04/04/addicted-to-cell-phone-signs/">Read More</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We&#8217;ve asked you before if you&#8217;re <a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/01/23/social-media-use-quiz/" target="_blank">addicted to your social media</a>, but today we&#8217;re wondering about the <strong>relationship</strong> between you and <strong>your cell phone</strong> in particular.</p><p>Why? Well, it&#8217;s the <a
href="http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/can-you-hear-me-now-cellphone-turns-40-1C9201090" target="_blank">cell phone&#8217;s 40th birthday</a>! Clearly cell phones play a <strong>big role</strong> in our life, but it is easy to forget that just <strong>decades</strong> ago they didn&#8217;t exist. Since then have some of us become way <strong>too addicted</strong> to our mobile technology?</p><p>Do I know about these things from <strong>personal experience?</strong> Maybe yes, maybe no (but mostly yes). Here are a few signs to clue you in to where you may be at on the informal <strong>cell phone addiction</strong> scale.</p><p><strong>A little bit addicted&#8230;</strong></p><p>You call your cell phone by a first name.</p><div
id="attachment_104058" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 510px"><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/04/04/addicted-to-cell-phone-signs/nameit/" rel="attachment wp-att-105466"><img
class="alignleft size-full wp-image-105466" alt="dory from finding nemo be my squishy" src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/nameit.gif" width="500" height="284" /></a><p
class="wp-caption-text"><a
href="http://traceysthoughts.tumblr.com/post/33881377213" target="_blank">Source: traceysthoughts.tumblr.com</a></p></div><p>You&#8217;ve apologized to it after you drop it.</p><div
id="attachment_104058" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 460px"><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/04/04/addicted-to-cell-phone-signs/sorry/" rel="attachment wp-att-105463"><img
class="alignleft size-full wp-image-105463" alt="i'm sorry" src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/sorry.gif" width="450" height="188" /></a><p
class="wp-caption-text"><a
href="http://stay-strong-stay-with-me.tumblr.com/post/37124291095" target="_blank">Source: stay-strong-stay-with-me.tumblr.com</a></p></div><p>It doesn&#8217;t even bother to auto-correct all of your made up words because you text them so often. It has learned through your constant texting.</p><div
id="attachment_104058" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 509px"><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/04/04/addicted-to-cell-phone-signs/proudofyou/" rel="attachment wp-att-105467"><img
class="alignleft size-full wp-image-105467" alt="nick offerman as ron swanson really proud" src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/proudofyou.gif" width="499" height="281" /></a><p
class="wp-caption-text"><a
href="http://tcfischer.tumblr.com/post/43030480985/when-i-see-a-game-commercial-that-shows-female" target="_blank">Source: tcfischer.tumblr.com</a></p></div><p>You can&#8217;t go from one room to another without it.</p><div
id="attachment_104058" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 416px"><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/04/04/addicted-to-cell-phone-signs/goback/" rel="attachment wp-att-105494"><img
class="alignleft size-full wp-image-105494" alt="matthew fox as jack lost we have to go back" src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/goback.gif" width="406" height="229" /></a><p
class="wp-caption-text"><a
href="http://andrewprice.tumblr.com/post/28115975790/when-i-download-the-latest-blender-build-and-find" target="_blank">Source: andrewprice.tumblr.com</a></p></div><p><strong>Even more addicted&#8230;</strong></p><p>When you see the battery is dying, you get a little emotional.</p><div
id="attachment_104058" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 510px"><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/04/04/addicted-to-cell-phone-signs/needyou/" rel="attachment wp-att-105465"><img
class="alignleft size-full wp-image-105465" alt="crying i need you" src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/needyou.gif" width="500" height="280" /></a><p
class="wp-caption-text"><a
href="http://letmetellyouyou.tumblr.com/post/42083137007" target="_blank">Source: letmetellyouyou.tumblr.com</a></p></div><p>You freak out more when you can&#8217;t find your phone than that time you lost your brother while babysitting (hey, it was only for ten minutes!)</p><div
id="attachment_104058" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 255px"><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/04/04/addicted-to-cell-phone-signs/stress-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-105475"><img
class="alignleft size-full wp-image-105475" alt="amy poehler as leslie knope nervous breakdown" src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/stress.gif" width="245" height="235" /></a><p
class="wp-caption-text"><a
href="http://whatshouldwecallmylife.tumblr.com/post/40544140123/when-im-overloaded-with-assignments-and-tests" target="_blank">Source: whatshouldwecallmylife.tumblr.com</a></p></div><p>You don&#8217;t ever care who you are talking to, as long as you are talking on your phone.</p><div
id="attachment_104058" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 510px"><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/04/04/addicted-to-cell-phone-signs/talktoyouaboutanything/" rel="attachment wp-att-105464"><img
class="alignleft size-full wp-image-105464" alt="degrassi imogen" src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/talktoyouaboutanything.gif" width="500" height="224" /></a><p
class="wp-caption-text"><a
href="http://torresbilyks.tumblr.com/post/21447699771" target="_blank">Source: torresbilyks.tumblr.com</a></p></div><p>You care more about buying cute covers for your phone than buying things for yourself.</p><div
id="attachment_104058" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 510px"><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/04/04/addicted-to-cell-phone-signs/sofetch/" rel="attachment wp-att-105500"><img
class="alignleft size-full wp-image-105500" alt="lacey chabert as gretchen wiener that's so fetch" src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/sofetch.gif" width="500" height="250" /></a><p
class="wp-caption-text"><a
href="http://danie-m.tumblr.com/post/14503440537" target="_blank">Source: danie-m.tumblr.com</a></p></div><p><strong>Okay, full-blown cell phone addiction&#8230;</strong></p><p>You have a scrapbook of photos of you and your cell phone (taken in a mirror with your own cell phone).</p><div
id="attachment_104058" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 510px"><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/04/04/addicted-to-cell-phone-signs/strike-a-pose/" rel="attachment wp-att-105492"><img
class="alignleft size-full wp-image-105492" alt="strike-a-pose" src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/strike-a-pose.gif" width="500" height="375" /></a><p
class="wp-caption-text"><a
href="http://favim.com/image/240156/" target="_blank">Source: favim.com</a></p></div><p>You buy your cell phone its own plane ticket, just so it&#8217;s comfortable on long flights.</p><div
id="attachment_104058" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 510px"><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/04/04/addicted-to-cell-phone-signs/yourewelcome/" rel="attachment wp-att-105488"><img
class="alignleft size-full wp-image-105488" alt="molly tarlov as sadie saxton on awkward you're welcome" src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/yourewelcome.gif" width="500" height="245" /></a><p
class="wp-caption-text"><a
href="http://delenastorm.tumblr.com/post/31924852580" target="_blank">Source: delenastorm.tumblr.com</a></p></div><p>Your cell phone is featured prominently in your family portrait.</p><div
id="attachment_104058" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 510px"><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/04/04/addicted-to-cell-phone-signs/familyportrait/" rel="attachment wp-att-105473"><img
class="alignleft size-full wp-image-105473" alt="lilo and stich ohana means family" src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/familyportrait.gif" width="500" height="291" /></a><p
class="wp-caption-text"><a
href="http://rialeslie.tumblr.com/post/27935329677" target="_blank">Source: rialeslie.tumblr.com</a></p></div><p>You&#8217;re taking your phone to prom&#8230; as your date.</p><div
id="attachment_104058" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 510px"><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/04/04/addicted-to-cell-phone-signs/iloveyou-3/" rel="attachment wp-att-105468"><img
class="alignleft size-full wp-image-105468" alt="jennifer lawrence saying i love you" src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/iloveyou.gif" width="500" height="281" /></a><p
class="wp-caption-text"><a
href="http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/I-dunno-I-love-you.gif" target="_blank">Source: reactiongifs.com</a></p></div><p><strong>How often are you on your cell phone? Do you ever feel like you might be addicted to your cell phone? What do you think are signs of a cell phone addiction? <a
href="#respond">Tell me in the comments!</a></strong></p><p
style="text-align: center;"><strong><a
title="What Does Your Favorite Social Media Network Say About You?" href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/03/30/social-media-personality-test/">What Does Your Favorite Social Media Network Say About You?</a></strong></p><p
style="text-align: center;"><strong><a
href="http://www.twitter.com/gurldotcom">Don&#8217;t forget to follow us on Twitter!</a></strong></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.gurl.com/2013/04/04/addicted-to-cell-phone-signs/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>3</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>5 Alternatives To Texting And Driving!</title><link>http://www.gurl.com/2013/03/15/texting-and-driving/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=texting-and-driving</link> <comments>http://www.gurl.com/2013/03/15/texting-and-driving/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:55:21 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Jessica Sager</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[In the News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cell phone]]></category> <category><![CDATA[drivers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[driving]]></category> <category><![CDATA[texting]]></category> <category><![CDATA[texting and driving]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.gurl.com/?p=102607</guid> <description><![CDATA[Texting and driving is bad. We all know that, and we&#8217;ve seen that scary stuff that can come from texting and driving&#8211;everything from fender benders to death. But why do so many of us still do it?! A study shows that the U.S. leads in texting and driving, with over 30 percent of us admitting &#8230; <a
class="read-more" href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/03/15/texting-and-driving/">Read More</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div
id="attachment_102634" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><img
class="size-full wp-image-102634" alt="texting and driving" src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/texting-and-driving-1.jpg" width="300" height="250" /><p
class="wp-caption-text">Texting and driving is dangerous&#8211;and never worth it! | Source: <a
href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-51897040/stock-photo-teen-drives-car-while-distracted-by-text-messaging-on-cell-phone.html" target="_blank">ShutterStock</a></p></div><p><strong>Texting and driving</strong> is bad. We all know that, and we&#8217;ve seen that scary stuff that can come from texting and driving&#8211;everything from fender benders to death. But why do so many of us still do it?!</p><p>A <a
href="http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/14/17312717-when-it-comes-to-texting-and-driving-us-is-no-1?lite" target="_blank">study</a> shows that the U.S. leads in texting and driving, with over <strong>30 percent</strong> of us admitting to doing it. That means <em>more</em> than that amount of people actually <em>are</em> texting and driving, they just don&#8217;t want to say so because we know how irresponsible and dangerous it is.</p><p>Not gonna lie&#8211;I&#8217;m pretty sensitive about texting and driving because a pretty dumb girl <strong>totaled her car</strong> with my<strong> brother in the passenger seat</strong> because she was texting and driving. Luckily no one got hurt, but it could have gotten really ugly. (And I will be honest: If she had survived and he didn&#8217;t, she would not have survived what I&#8217;d have done to her afterward.)</p><p>Even just talking on the phone without your hands makes you <strong>lose your focus and concentration</strong> on the road, so you can imagine how bad texting and driving makes you behind the wheel&#8211;because that means your <strong>hands and eyes</strong> are off of the road and all the cars, trucks, pedestrians and squirrels in front of you. Yikes!</p><p>There are<strong> alternatives </strong>to texting and driving and ways around it. Here are things to do instead of texting and driving, because sending someone &#8220;LOL&#8221;&#8211;even your crush&#8211;isn&#8217;t worth the potential disaster (or death) that it may bring. It can wait!</p><p><strong>1. Get a text-to-speech app.</strong><br
/> Chances are nothing you&#8217;re getting is that urgent, but if you really need to respond to a text or an email while you&#8217;re driving, nab one of these. They let your phone read messages and emails to you out loud, and you can respond via voice command, so you can keep your eyes on the road. ShoutOut is a good one to try!</p><p><strong>2. Set up a text auto-reply.</strong><br
/> You can find apps for these depending on what kind of phone you have, and they let you send an automated reply to any text you receive while it&#8217;s on. You can activate it when you first get in the car&#8211;before you start moving, obviously&#8211;so everyone will know that you&#8217;re not ignoring them, you&#8217;re just too responsible to even try texting and driving.</p><p><strong>3. Have a pal reply for you!</strong><br
/> If you&#8217;ve got your BFF along for the ride and you get a text from your crush, chances are you&#8217;re going to analyze it with her anyway, right? Tell her what to say and have her send it!</p><p><strong>4. Either turn your phone off or silence it, then hide your phone inside your purse. In the backseat.</strong><br
/> You don&#8217;t want to go overboard and throw it in the trunk or anything in case of an emergency&#8211;you may not feel safe getting out of your car in certain areas, especially if you&#8217;re alone. But keeping your phone out of your sight and so you can&#8217;t hear your notifications will make you less likely to steal glances at it while you&#8217;re on the move.</p><p><strong>5. Get another distraction that&#8217;s less dangerous.</strong><br
/> I&#8217;m just saying&#8211;I can sing and bop my head along to One Direction with my hands on the wheel and my eyes on the road. And I highly recommend it.</p><p><strong>Are you guilty of texting and driving? What are your alternatives to texting and driving? Have you ever been in an accident caused by texting and driving? Tell us in the <a
href="#respond" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">comments</a>!<br
/> </strong></p><p
style="text-align: center;"><strong><a
title="Seriously, Get Off Your Cell Phone" href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/02/26/using-cell-phone-distraction/">Texting and driving isn&#8217;t the only bad cell phone behavior!</a><br
/> </strong></p><p
style="text-align: center;"><strong><a
href="http://twitter.com/gurldotcom" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">And don&#8217;t forget to follow us on Twitter!</a></strong></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.gurl.com/2013/03/15/texting-and-driving/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Seriously, Get Off Your Cell Phone</title><link>http://www.gurl.com/2013/02/26/using-cell-phone-distraction/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=using-cell-phone-distraction</link> <comments>http://www.gurl.com/2013/02/26/using-cell-phone-distraction/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Tue, 26 Feb 2013 22:09:46 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Jessica Booth</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Beliefs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[advice]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cell phone]]></category> <category><![CDATA[friends]]></category> <category><![CDATA[rant]]></category> <category><![CDATA[technology]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.gurl.com/?p=100156</guid> <description><![CDATA[Cell phones are great. In fact, they&#8217;re fantastic. I&#8217;ll be the first to admit that I&#8217;m obsessed with my iPhone. I take it everywhere with me &#8211; it&#8217;s basically an extension of my hand. Without my phone, I feel incomplete&#8230; and no, I&#8217;m not being dramatic. So, I get it. I get that we all &#8230; <a
class="read-more" href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/02/26/using-cell-phone-distraction/">Read More</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div
id="attachment_100222" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/cellm.jpg"><img
class="size-full wp-image-100222" alt="cell phones" src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/cellm.jpg" width="300" height="250" /></a><p
class="wp-caption-text"><a
href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-88820287/stock-photo-group-of-young-people-texting-on-their-mobile-phones.html?src=csl_recent_image-1">Source: ShutterStock</a></p></div><p>Cell phones are great. In fact, they&#8217;re <strong>fantastic</strong>. I&#8217;ll be the first to admit that I&#8217;m obsessed with my iPhone. I take it everywhere with me &#8211; it&#8217;s basically an extension of my hand. Without my phone, I feel <strong>incomplete</strong>&#8230; and no, I&#8217;m not being dramatic.</p><p>So, I get it. I get that we all want to spend a lot of time on our cell phones because we can do <strong>awesome things</strong> on them. We can be in constant contact with anyone, we can keep tabs on all the Facebook statuses, we can <strong>secretly play games</strong> and make it look like we&#8217;re doing something important, we can ogle Instagram pictures and tweet everything. That&#8217;s all great. But there are times when  we need to put our cell phones down. Did you hear me? Stop looking at your screen! <strong>Put your cell phones down.</strong></p><p>One time when we really need to stash those cell phones away? When we&#8217;re hanging out with our friends and/or family members.  I have a few friends who insist on using their phones no matter where we are or what we&#8217;re talking about. One friend in particular is <strong>obsessed</strong> with her phone. She is constantly on her phone. She&#8217;ll be sitting in a room full of all of our friends and she&#8217;ll still have her cell phone out, texting, tweeting, checking out Facebook, doing <strong>I don&#8217;t even know what. </strong></p><p>My friend has been like this with her cell for a while now, but recently, it&#8217;s really started to <strong>bug me</strong>. A few weeks ago, a bunch of us were hanging out when it started snowing. We all ran out to play in the snow like little kids. As we ran around laughing, my friend literally stood there doing things on her phone. She <strong>missed out</strong> on our super fun hang-out sesh in the snow because she was on her cell phone.</p><div
id="attachment_100224" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 210px"><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/bfphone.jpg"><img
class="size-medium wp-image-100224" alt="Would you like it if your BF did it to you? No? Then don't do it to friends! | Source: ShutterStock" src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/bfphone-200x167.jpg" width="200" height="167" /></a><p
class="wp-caption-text">Would you like it if your BF did it to you? No? Then don&#8217;t do it to friends! | <a
href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-125875217/stock-photo-boring-date.html?src=csl_recent_image-1">Source: ShutterStock</a></p></div><p>And when we went to the nail place the other day, she stayed on her phone<strong> the entire time</strong> we got pedicures. I was in the middle of updating her on my life and she literally just sat there going, &#8220;Mm-hmm. Yeah. I know. OMG, I know.&#8221; while not once taking her eyes off of her cell. It&#8217;s not like my life is super interesting, but come on! In case you were wondering, she kept it next to her while she got a manicure and kept interrupting the manicurist to text people back.<strong> I&#8217;m not kidding. </strong></p><p>If you&#8217;re doing this, <strong>please stop</strong>. Seriously. I don&#8217;t know if you realize this, but staring at your cell phone screen while having a conversation with someone is <strong>incredibly rude.</strong> Like, it&#8217;s so rude it&#8217;s not even funny. Would you, or do you, enjoy having an intense conversation with someone whose not looking at you who seems like they&#8217;re in some faraway land? I didn&#8217;t think so.</p><p>Even if you think you&#8217;re a talented enough multi-tasker to be on your phone and be fully engaged in a convo at the same time &#8211; <strong>you&#8217;re wrong.</strong> Sorry, but you are. Cell phones are a <strong>distraction</strong>. There&#8217;s no way you can read statuses or look at pictures while listening 100 percent to someone else. You&#8217;re maybe 80 percent engaged in the conversation. <em>Maybe.</em> That&#8217;s being generous.</p><p>I mean, wouldn&#8217;t you rather enjoy what you&#8217;re doing at the moment instead of focusing on <strong>what everyone else is doing?</strong> Like I said, cell phones are distracting. While staring at your phone, you&#8217;re probably missing out on a bunch of stuff without even realizing it. You don&#8217;t want to be that annoying person who says, &#8220;Wait, what?&#8221; after <strong>everything</strong> that&#8217;s said. No one likes that person.</p><div
id="attachment_100225" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 210px"><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/bored.jpg"><img
class="size-medium wp-image-100225" alt="You might as well just say you're bored. | Source: ShutterStock" src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/bored-200x167.jpg" width="200" height="167" /></a><p
class="wp-caption-text">You might as well just say you&#8217;re bored. | <a
href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-124530823/stock-photo-close-up-portrait-of-a-beautiful-girl-bored-with-something-wearing-a-hat-and-nerd-glasses.html?src=csl_recent_image-2">Source: ShutterStock</a></p></div><p>Plus, how do you think the people you&#8217;re with feel? I&#8217;ll tell you how they feel: like you&#8217;re <strong>completely disinterested</strong> in what&#8217;s happening around you. When my friend looks at her phone more than she looks at my face when we&#8217;re hanging out, I feel like she doesn&#8217;t even want to be there with me. I feel like she has so many better things to do, like she <strong>can&#8217;t wait to leave</strong> and like she&#8217;s not even listening to anything I&#8217;m saying. It sucks.</p><p>So, seriously, put your cell phone away when you&#8217;re hanging with your friends. I&#8217;m not saying you can&#8217;t touch it at all or that you need to turn it off the whole time you&#8217;re with them (although doing that once in a while would be good for you). Just don&#8217;t look at it <strong>the whole time.</strong> Don&#8217;t check social media sites unless you absolutely need to. You <em>will</em> still be able to see stuff in a few hours. Don&#8217;t have lengthy text message conversations with people who aren&#8217;t there. That&#8217;s basically the equivalent of <strong>talking on the phone</strong> while you&#8217;re with a friend &#8211; would you do that? Probably not. So don&#8217;t text forever either.</p><p>Putting your phone in your bag until you need it will only bring good things, <strong>I promise</strong>. You&#8217;ll be able to fully focus on what&#8217;s happening around you. You&#8217;ll be able to give your friends your full attention, thus coming off as <strong>a better friend</strong> who cares about them. Hang-outs will be more fun. Everyone will be happy. Your friends won&#8217;t think you&#8217;re a brat. It&#8217;s a win-win situation, so please, put the cell phone away.</p><p><strong>Are you guilty of using your cell when with your friends? Do you have any friends who are constantly on their cell phones? Do you think it&#8217;s really rude? <a
href="#respond">Tell me in the comments.</a></strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p
style="text-align: center;"><strong><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/01/14/cell-phone-distraction/" target="_blank">Why even just checking your phone is distracting</a></strong></p><p
style="text-align: center;"><strong><a
href="https://twitter.com/GurlDotCom" target="_blank">Don&#8217;t forget to follow us on Twitter</a></strong></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.gurl.com/2013/02/26/using-cell-phone-distraction/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>7</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Would A &#8220;Sexting 101&#8243; Class Help Keep Teens From Doing It?</title><link>http://www.gurl.com/2013/02/11/sexting-laws/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=sexting-laws</link> <comments>http://www.gurl.com/2013/02/11/sexting-laws/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 11 Feb 2013 20:38:45 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Meg Malone</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[In the News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cell phone]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cell phone use]]></category> <category><![CDATA[naked pictures]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sext]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sexting]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sexting dangers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sexts]]></category> <category><![CDATA[smartphone]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.gurl.com/?p=98141</guid> <description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ll just come right out and say it: sexting is not a good idea. As soon as that picture is taken, control over what happens to it can quickly slip out of your hands. That&#8217;s scary stuff. Now an &#8220;online diversion course&#8221; is being offered through the Utah-based website CourtEducationOnline.com. The class sets out to educate &#8230; <a
class="read-more" href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/02/11/sexting-laws/">Read More</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div
id="attachment_98092" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/02/11/sexting-laws/sexting-laws-main/" rel="attachment wp-att-98159"><img
class="alignleft size-full wp-image-98159" alt="sexting-laws-main" src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/sexting-laws-main.gif" width="300" height="250" /></a><p
class="wp-caption-text">Could taking a class clear up questions teens have about sexting and its consequences? <a
href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-94583107/stock-photo-two-teen-girls-texting-on-their-phones-on-has-a-small-smile-on-her-face-the-other-is-shocked-at-the.html?src=csl_recent_image-1">Source: Shutterstock</a></p></div><p>I&#8217;ll just come right out and say it: <a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2012/10/22/sexting-advice/" target="_blank">sexting</a> is <strong>not</strong> a good idea. As soon as that picture is taken, <strong>control</strong> over what happens to it can quickly slip out of your hands. That&#8217;s <strong>scary stuff.</strong></p><p>Now <a
href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/02/10/survey-1-4-us-teens-have-sexted" target="_blank">an &#8220;online diversion course&#8221;</a> is being offered through the <strong>Utah-based</strong> website <a
href="http://www.courteducationonline.com/learn-more/courts/" target="_blank">CourtEducationOnline.com</a>. The class sets out to educate teens about <strong>sexting consequences</strong> and prevent it in the future.</p><p>A little <strong>legal backstory</strong>: in Utah, it is a misdemeanor for teens to sext one another. Students at one Utah high school took this online class, and afterward it was revealed that 90 percent of the students didn&#8217;t know that sexting was <strong>against the law</strong> prior to this. Yikes!</p><p>Believe me, I&#8217;m not <strong>blaming </strong>these students. With something like sexting &#8211; a relatively new phenomenon &#8211; it&#8217;s tricky for a teen to navigate it <strong>alone</strong>. I&#8217;m not surprised that many of these students didn&#8217;t know the law in their state, but at the same time, that wouldn&#8217;t really be <strong>an excuse</strong> if they were to get in trouble for it.</p><p>From what I can tell, this online class is applicable to Utah laws (remember, <a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2011/11/03/sexting-ruin-life-sexy-text-cellphon/" target="_blank">laws about sexting in your state</a> could be <strong>different</strong>). According to the course topics for <a
href="http://www.courteducationonline.com/courses/view/?cid=1" target="_blank">&#8220;Cell Phone Safety and Texting,&#8221;</a> this class covers things like &#8220;laws and <strong>legal implications</strong> of sexting&#8221; and &#8220;review of <strong>real-life</strong> case studies.&#8221;</p><p>This all sounds really <strong>valuable</strong> to me. I like being informed and proactive, and acting like something doesn&#8217;t exist is in my opinion a surefire way to make sure it keeps happening. My one issue with this class is that as a diversion program, it seems targeted <strong>primarily</strong> toward students who have already run into trouble with sexting. To me, that just seems like mainly dealing with a problem once it has <strong>already</strong> caused a problem.</p><p>Yes, this intervention could <strong>prevent</strong> from sexting again in the future, but maybe that teen&#8217;s sexting has already had <a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2012/07/19/sexting-hot-photos/" target="_blank">social consequences</a> which can&#8217;t just be <strong>erased</strong> with taking a class. I just wonder if there&#8217;s a way to make this kind of program more widely available than it seems to be now so it is even more of a <strong>preventative educational measure.</strong></p><p>I can perhaps see the fear that teens would use this kind of course as a way to find <strong>loopholes</strong> in the legal system so that they could still sext without getting in &#8220;trouble.&#8221; I guess though, I just like to think that when presented with all <strong>the information</strong> out there, teens won&#8217;t approach it that way. In addition to laws, the class also reiterates social consequences and loops <strong>parents </strong>into the conversation.</p><p>It seems promising to have everyone working together to get on the <strong>same page</strong> moving forward and taking such a <strong>well-rounded approach</strong> to educating people about sexting. I am curious to see if other states adopt it and tailor it to their states, and if this becomes a <strong>go-to method</strong> of educating teens about sexting and its consequences. Anyone else?</p><p><strong>Do you think classes like this would keep teens from continuing to sext? Do you think a program like this should be put in place before teens even get in legal trouble? Do you feel like you are informed about the laws around sexting in your state? <a
href="#respond">Tell us in the comments!</a><br
/> </strong></p><p
style="text-align: center;"><strong><a
title="Can Sexting Give You STDS?!" href="http://www.gurl.com/2012/09/18/sexting-stds/">Can Sexting Give You STDS?!</a></strong></p><p
style="text-align: center;"><strong><a
href="http://www.twitter.com/gurldotcom">Don&#8217;t forget to follow us on Twitter!</a></strong></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.gurl.com/2013/02/11/sexting-laws/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Even &#8220;Just Checking&#8221; Your Cell Can Be Distracting</title><link>http://www.gurl.com/2013/01/14/cell-phone-distraction/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=cell-phone-distraction</link> <comments>http://www.gurl.com/2013/01/14/cell-phone-distraction/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 14 Jan 2013 22:22:55 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Meg Malone</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Your Life]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cell phone]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cell phone etiquette]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cell phone use]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cell phones]]></category> <category><![CDATA[distraction]]></category> <category><![CDATA[distractions]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.gurl.com/?p=94354</guid> <description><![CDATA[I used to pride myself on my ability to function with no cell phone. I didn&#8217;t get one until I was a junior in high school, so I used land lines and mooched off the cell devices of my friends. On the whole, I was pretty cool with limited phone access. Last week we wrote &#8230; <a
class="read-more" href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/01/14/cell-phone-distraction/">Read More</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div
id="attachment_94348" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/01/14/cell-phone-distraction/cell-phone-distraction-main/" rel="attachment wp-att-94370"><img
class="alignleft size-full wp-image-94370" alt="cell-phone-distraction-main" src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/cell-phone-distraction-main.gif" width="300" height="250" /></a><p
class="wp-caption-text">Uh oh. Distraction alert! | <a
href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-77712319/stock-photo-smiling-young-girl-reading-sms-on-mobile-instead-of-doing-homework.html?src=csl_recent_image-1" target="_blank">Source: Shutterstock.com</a></p></div><p>I used to <strong>pride myself</strong> on my ability to function with no cell phone. I didn&#8217;t get one until I was a junior in high school, so I used land lines and <strong>mooched</strong> off the cell devices of my friends. On the whole, I was pretty cool with limited <strong>phone access</strong>.</p><p>Last week we wrote about a teen who had to <a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/01/10/iphone-contract/" target="_blank">sign his parent&#8217;s iPhone contract</a>, and his mom had <strong>some rules</strong> about when and where he couldn&#8217;t use the phone. Your parent telling you how to use your phone can be kind of <strong>annoying</strong>, but I do agree with her general point that <strong>cutting ties</strong> with your phone once in a while is good so you don&#8217;t live a totally distracted life. But I know <strong>it&#8217;s not easy</strong>!</p><p>Today on the <a
href="http://blog.womenshealthmag.com/thisjustin/the-danger-of-leaving-your-phone-on-vibrate/" target="_blank"><em>Women&#8217;s Health</em> website</a>, I read about a <strong>new study</strong> from Michigan State University that tested how <strong>2.8 second</strong> mini-distractions affected people&#8217;s ability to carry out a task that they&#8217;d been able to do with only a few errors in a distraction-free zone. Even when the distraction was over, the participants were <strong>twice as likely </strong>to start messing up on their initial assignment. Now, the study itself didn&#8217;t specifically use cell phones as the cause of the distraction, but <a
href="http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2013/brief-interruptions-spawn-errors/" target="_blank">the lead researcher mentioned cell phones</a> as an<strong> example</strong> of these types of distractions that could impact accuracy in real world situations.</p><p>It got me thinking about if maybe I&#8217;m<strong> more addicted</strong> to my cell than I originally thought. Back in school, I actually was pretty good about not texting during my classes, but I did often do the reach in my bag to <strong>&#8220;just check&#8221; </strong>if I got a message. I figured those lost couple seconds couldn&#8217;t really hurt. After reading about this study, I wonder though how those moments may have been <strong>worse</strong> for my academic engagement than I thought.</p><p>The lead researcher also talked about how it shows that our <strong>safety</strong> could be affected if those responsible for it are victims to these types of small interruptions. I can actually think of some times where my own cell distraction could possibly be affecting my health, as well. There&#8217;s been way too many nights where I&#8217;m about to <strong>settle into bed</strong>, I see the glow of an incoming message, and I&#8217;ll go check it. Even if I don&#8217;t respond to the message, I still haven&#8217;t let my body <strong>fully focus</strong> on sleep. And what about driving? We know <a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2012/05/09/pledge-now-txt-l8r-giveaway/" target="_blank">not to text and drive,</a> but if just glancing at your phone sitting over on the other seat could be more distracting than it seems, that&#8217;s really <strong>dangerous</strong> too.</p><p>Having my cell phone on me gives me a sense of <strong>safety and security</strong>, so I&#8217;m certainly not just going to ditch it. I guess I just always thought because I wasn&#8217;t having all-day text conversations and I kept my phone on a quieter setting, I was proving <strong>my distance</strong> from my cell. Turns out though, I may be more affected than I thought. Guess it&#8217;s time for me to make my <strong>space boundaries</strong> with my cell super clear.</p><p><strong>Were you surprised by how even short interruptions can affect you? Would you say your cell phone causes most of your distractions? What else does? Do you think you need a break from your cell sometimes? <a
href="#respond">Tell me in the comments!</a> </strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p
style="text-align: center;"><strong><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2012/12/27/safe-sex-std-smartphone-app-medxcom/" target="_blank">Prevent An STD With A Safe Sex App!</a></strong></p><p
style="text-align: center;"><strong><a
href="https://twitter.com/GurlDotCom" target="_blank">Don&#8217;t forget to follow us on Twitter</a></strong></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.gurl.com/2013/01/14/cell-phone-distraction/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>My Date With A &#8220;Nice Guy&#8221; Ended In Disaster!</title><link>http://www.gurl.com/2013/01/03/bad-date-story-nice-guy/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=bad-date-story-nice-guy</link> <comments>http://www.gurl.com/2013/01/03/bad-date-story-nice-guy/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:41:42 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Jessica Sager</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[bad date]]></category> <category><![CDATA[bad dates]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cell phone]]></category> <category><![CDATA[dating]]></category> <category><![CDATA[flirtexting]]></category> <category><![CDATA[nice guy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[nice guys]]></category> <category><![CDATA[relationships]]></category> <category><![CDATA[texting]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.gurl.com/?p=92838</guid> <description><![CDATA[My best guy friend Joe (I changed his name as to not embarrass him) had a pretty hot brother, Jim (I changed his name too) who seemed like a nice guy. I&#8217;d seen pictures of him and Joe mentioned him a lot, but I&#8217;d never met him until we got together with Joe and his &#8230; <a
class="read-more" href="http://www.gurl.com/2013/01/03/bad-date-story-nice-guy/">Read More</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><div
id="attachment_92840" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><img
src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/nice-guys-bad-date.jpg" alt="nice guys bad date nice guy" width="300" height="250" class="size-full wp-image-92840" /><p
class="wp-caption-text">This &#8220;nice guy&#8221; turned an okay night into a bad date when he went overboard with texting! | Source: <a
href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-29938345/stock-photo-distracted-young-man-ignoring-pretty-woman-in-a-restaurant.html" target="_blank">Shutterstock</a></p></div><br
/> My <strong>best guy friend Joe</strong> (I changed his name as to not embarrass him) had a pretty <strong>hot brother</strong>, Jim (I changed his name too) who seemed like a <strong>nice guy</strong>. I&#8217;d seen pictures of him and Joe mentioned him a lot, but I&#8217;d never met him until we got together with Joe and his girlfriend to watch a movie and grab a pizza. I <strong>didn&#8217;t think it was a date</strong> because, well, he never asked me out&#8211;we&#8217;d never even met&#8211;we just happened to be in the same place at the same time.</p><p>Thing is, he totally thought we were on a date. He put his arm around me during the movie, which was a little weird, but not gropey or gross, so I <strong>didn&#8217;t make a big deal out</strong> of it. (I <em>did</em> mention he was hot, right?) Afterward we grabbed food together&#8211;all four of us&#8211;and then Jim and I <strong>exchanged numbers</strong>. He seemed cool and we had a few things in common, so I figured it wouldn&#8217;t hurt to see where it led. I figured anyone related to Joe, who was a legit nice guy&#8211;he&#8217;s one of my best friends in the world&#8211;was probably cool.</p><p>I headed home after that, a roughly 20 minute drive, because I was meeting my bestie for a late dessert date.</p><p>Here&#8217;s where it gets <strong>horrifying</strong>. When I pulled up to my friend&#8217;s house and got out my phone to let her know I was there, I had about<strong> 27 text messages</strong>. They were <strong>all from Jim</strong>.</p><p>The first messages were pretty <strong>sweet</strong>: &#8220;You&#8217;re so pretty!&#8221; &#8220;You&#8217;re really funny too.&#8221; &#8220;I liked your Chucks.&#8221; &#8220;I&#8217;d love to hang out again.&#8221; Aw, cute! Right? Well, so far.</p><p>Then they got <strong>paranoid</strong>. See, he went from a nice guy to a &#8220;nice guy.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Is this even the <strong>right number</strong>?&#8221; &#8220;Joe said this is really your number, so you must be <strong>ignoring me</strong>.&#8221; &#8220;What the Hell is your problem? I thought we hit it off.&#8221; &#8220;Did you block me from Facebook?&#8221; (I didn&#8217;t block him&#8211;I hadn&#8217;t been able to accept his friend request, because, you know, I was <em><strong>driving</strong></em>.)</p><p>Then they got <strong>nasty</strong>.</p><p>&#8220;I bet you&#8217;re one of the girls who <strong>likes guys who treat her like s***</strong>.&#8221; &#8220;That&#8217;s what I get for being a nice guy. I hope you&#8217;re happy with your life.&#8221; &#8220;Don&#8217;t <strong>crash into a pole</strong> or anything, b****.&#8221;</p><p>Thankfully, I didn&#8217;t crash into a pole, because I was paying attention to the road and not my cell phone while I was driving. When I did accept his friend request on FB, I saw that he also posted about<strong> half a dozen statuses</strong> like this: &#8220;That&#8217;s what I get when I put my heart on the line.&#8221; &#8220;Love is such bulls***.&#8221; &#8220;No one wants a nice guy anymore, f*** it.&#8221;</p><p>Remember what I said about &#8220;<strong><a
title="Why “Nice Guys” Are Full Of Crap" href="http://www.gurl.com/2012/09/06/how-to-date-women-nice-guy/">nice guys</a></strong>&#8221; a while ago? I stand by my theory that they&#8217;re actually not all that nice. In fact, someone of them are <strong>flat out crazy</strong>. And maybe that&#8217;s why no one wants &#8220;nice guys&#8221; anymore!</p><p><strong>Have you ever had a bad date? Has a guy ever gone crazy after one date with you? What would you do if you got texts like that after one date with a guy? Have you ever had a nice guy turn into a &#8220;nice guy?&#8221; Tell us in the <a
href="#respond" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">comments</a>!</strong></p><p
style="text-align: center;"><strong><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2012/12/21/nice-guys/" title="These “Nice” Guys From OKCupid Don’t Know What Nice Means" target="_blank">These &#8220;nice guys&#8221; don&#8217;t even know that it means to be nice!</a><br
/> </strong></p><p
style="text-align: center;"><strong><a
href="http://twitter.com/gurldotcom" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">And don&#8217;t forget to follow us on Twitter!</a></strong></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.gurl.com/2013/01/03/bad-date-story-nice-guy/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>3</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Is Your Cell Phone Destroying Your Relationships?!</title><link>http://www.gurl.com/2012/09/14/social-effects-of-cell-phones/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=social-effects-of-cell-phones</link> <comments>http://www.gurl.com/2012/09/14/social-effects-of-cell-phones/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 14 Sep 2012 16:04:50 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Jessica Sager</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[News & Reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cell phone]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cell phone etiquette]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cell phones]]></category> <category><![CDATA[etiquettte]]></category> <category><![CDATA[friendships]]></category> <category><![CDATA[manners]]></category> <category><![CDATA[news]]></category> <category><![CDATA[relationships]]></category> <category><![CDATA[social effects of cell phones]]></category> <category><![CDATA[social life]]></category> <category><![CDATA[social skills]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.gurl.com/?p=79577</guid> <description><![CDATA[Cell phones make it easier to stay connected to everyone you know whenever you want&#8211;so it&#8217;s an awesome tool for making and maintaining friendships and relationships, right? Well, maybe not. A new study says that just being in the presence of a cell phone can actually hinder your interactions with people around you&#8211;whether you&#8217;re even &#8230; <a
class="read-more" href="http://www.gurl.com/2012/09/14/social-effects-of-cell-phones/">Read More</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><div
id="attachment_79619" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><img
src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/cell-phone-relationships-1.jpg" alt="cell phone relationships" title="cell phone relationships 1" width="300" height="250" class="size-full wp-image-79619" /><p
class="wp-caption-text">These ladies would be smiling even more if they&#8217;d put their cell phones away. | <a
href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-79005769/stock-photo-young-teenagers-using-cell-phones-isolated-white-background.html" rel="nofollow">Source: Shutterstock</a></p></div><br
/> <strong>Cell phones</strong> make it easier to stay connected to everyone you know whenever you want&#8211;so it&#8217;s an awesome tool for making and maintaining friendships and relationships, right?</p><p>Well, maybe not. A new <a
href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-your-cell-phone-hurts-your-relationships" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">study</a> says that just being in the presence of a cell phone can actually <strong>hinder your interactions</strong> with people around you&#8211;whether you&#8217;re even using the phone or not. No, seriously. It turns out that <strong>being too connected</strong> to everyone makes us, well, <strong>less connected</strong> to people closest to us.</p><p>Research was done to prove this theory: Scientists got a bunch of volunteers and put two strangers at a time in a room together. The volunteers left their stuff (including their phones) in a waiting area, then sat together in a booth. Not far from the booth&#8211;but slightly out of their direct vision&#8211;was a desk. For some of the strangers, the desk had a notebook on it, for others, the desk had a cell phone on it. The pairs were asked to chat about an incident in their own lives that had happened recently, then were asked to report how the chat went: They had to rate it in terms of <strong>relationship quality and closeness</strong> that they&#8217;d felt.</p><p>Guess what went down? The pairs in the<strong> presence of a cell phone</strong>&#8211;again, that no one even checked&#8211;rated their relationship quality and closeness as lower than those who talked near a notepad.</p><p>Just in case this was a fluke&#8211;after all, people are all different, and not everyone&#8217;s a great conversationalist&#8211;the researchers did another experiment to see if the context of a conversation had any bearing on the cell phone&#8217;s effect on closeness. The scientists gave their volunteers <strong>casual topics</strong> (plastic trees&#8211;dude, really?) and more serious ones (<strong>important events</strong> in the last year) to chat about. The cell phone&#8217;s presence wound up not really affecting the responses of the volunteers who chit chatted about plastic trees, but as for the<strong> more serious talkers</strong>? It hindered their feelings of closeness and relationship quality quite a bit.</p><p>The end conclusion that researchers got? <strong>Interacting</strong> in a small, intimate environment with others who <strong>aren&#8217;t on the phone</strong> (or checking their FB mobile app, tweeting, or getting Google Alerts about Harry Styles) harbors much more warmth, closeness, and quality time than doing the same with mobile access.</p><p>It appears that being connected to the entire planet makes us lose grasp of the connections that are literally <strong>right in front of us</strong>. Keep that in mind next time you&#8217;re tempted to text during a family party, on a date, or hanging with your BFF: If you&#8217;re doing it because you&#8217;re bored, you&#8217;re probably part of the problem! Plus, dude&#8211;it&#8217;s sorta <strong>rude</strong>, isn&#8217;t it?</p><p><strong>Do you think cell phones help or hurt your social life? Have any of your relationships been negatively affected by being on your cell phone? Have you ever gotten into a tiff with someone you&#8217;re close with over him or her using his or her cell phone too much&#8211;or vice versa? Tell us in the <a
href="#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a>!</strong></p><p
style="text-align: center;"><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2012/09/12/effects-of-cell-phones/"><strong>Uh oh &#8211;can you cell phone make you sick?</strong></a></p><p><center><strong>And don&#8217;t forget to <a
href="http://twitter.com/gurldotcom" rel="nofollow">Follow Us On Twitter</a>!</strong></center></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.gurl.com/2012/09/14/social-effects-of-cell-phones/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Can Your Cell Phone Give You Cancer?!</title><link>http://www.gurl.com/2012/09/12/effects-of-cell-phones/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=effects-of-cell-phones</link> <comments>http://www.gurl.com/2012/09/12/effects-of-cell-phones/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:16:16 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Jessica Sager</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Celebrity Quotes & News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[brain tumor]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cancer]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cell phone]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cell phone radiation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cell phone use]]></category> <category><![CDATA[news]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sheryl crow]]></category> <category><![CDATA[tumor]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.gurl.com/?p=79354</guid> <description><![CDATA[Ever since the amazing and talented singer Sheryl Crow claimed that she thinks her cell phone use caused her benign brain tumor, a lot of us have been panicking over cell phone radiation&#8211;especially because last May a study surfaced that suggest cell phone radiation could possibly, maybe, kinda sorta cause cancer. It wasn&#8217;t the best &#8230; <a
class="read-more" href="http://www.gurl.com/2012/09/12/effects-of-cell-phones/">Read More</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><div
id="attachment_79364" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><img
src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Effects-Of-Cell-Phone-Radiation-Sheryl-Crow-Tumor-effect-of-cell-phone-cell-phone-cancer-cell-phone-use-1.jpg" alt="Effects Of Cell Phone Radiation Sheryl Crow Tumor effect of cell phone cell phone cancer cell phone use 1" title="Effects Of Cell Phone Radiation Sheryl Crow Tumor effect of cell phone cell phone cancer cell phone use 1" width="300" height="250" class="size-full wp-image-79364" /><p
class="wp-caption-text">You don&#8217;t need to worry about cell phone radiation! | <a
href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-82061245/stock-photo-bright-picture-of-businesswoman-with-cell-phone.html" rel="nofollow">Source: Shutterstock</a></p></div><br
/> Ever since the amazing and talented singer<strong> Sheryl Crow</strong> claimed that she thinks her<strong> cell phone use</strong> caused her benign <strong>brain tumor</strong>, a lot of us have been panicking over <strong>cell phone radiation</strong>&#8211;especially because last May a <a
href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43225917/ns/health-cancer/t/cellphones-possibly-carcinogenic-report-suggests/#__utma=14933801.1180670674.1343050422.1347396079.1347456798.29&amp;__utmb=14933801.1.10.1347456798&amp;__utmc=14933801&amp;__utmx=-&amp;__utmz=14933801.1343838332.5.2.utmcsr=thefindany.com|utmccn=(referral)|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/search&amp;__utmv=14933801.|8=Earned%20By=msnbc|health|vitals=1^12=Landing%20Content=Original=1^13=Landing%20Hostname=vitals.nbcnews.com=1^30=Visit%20Type%20to%20Content=Earned%20to%20Original=1&amp;__utmk=107656834&amp;__utma=14933801.1180670674.1343050422.1347396079.1347456798.29&amp;__utmb=14933801.0.10.1347456798&amp;__utmc=14933801&amp;__utmx=-&amp;__utmz=14933801.1343838332.5.2.utmcsr=thefindany.com|utmccn=(referral)|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/search&amp;__utmv=14933801.|8=Earned%20By=msnbc%7Chealth%7Cvitals=1^12=Landing%20Content=Original=1^13=Landing%20Hostname=vitals.nbcnews.com=1^30=Visit%20Type%20to%20Content=Earned%20to%20Original=1&amp;__utmk=110148613" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">study</a> surfaced that suggest cell phone radiation could possibly, maybe, <em>kinda sorta</em> cause cancer. It wasn&#8217;t the best possible research&#8211;because cell phone technology changes so much and so often that a whole lot more research needed and still needs to be done.</p><p>It&#8217;s super scary to think that something we use so much every single day can potentially <strong><em>kill</em> us</strong>&#8211;but thankfully, there&#8217;s nothing to worry about!</p><p><a
href="http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/11/13809451-science-doesnt-back-singer-sheryl-crows-brain-tumor-worries?lite" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">New research</a> says there&#8217;s no need to freak (phew!), because the effects of cell phone radiation don&#8217;t include brain tumors&#8211;there&#8217;s<strong> really not even a link</strong>. How do researchers know? For one, brain tumors aren&#8217;t any more common now than they were before cell phones became the norm, and the only real proven effect of cell phone radiation is &#8220;a tiny rise in temperature.&#8221; For real, how relieved are you right now?</p><p>To get technical for a sec&#8211;cell phones emit a different type of energy than X-rays. Cell phones emit<strong> radiofrequency energy</strong>, which doesn&#8217;t cause damage to your DNA like the ionizing radiation that X-rays cause. That DNA damage is what actually can be linked to cancer (which is why whenever you get an X-ray&#8211;even just at the dentist&#8217;s office&#8211;they cover you up).</p><div
id="attachment_79365" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 210px"><img
src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Effects-Of-Cell-Phone-Radiation-Sheryl-Crow-Tumor-effect-of-cell-phone-cell-phone-cancer-cell-phone-use-2.jpg" alt="Effects Of Cell Phone Radiation Sheryl Crow Tumor effect of cell phone cell phone cancer cell phone use 2" title="Effects Of Cell Phone Radiation Sheryl Crow Tumor effect of cell phone cell phone cancer cell phone use 2" width="200" height="167" class="size-full wp-image-79365" /><p
class="wp-caption-text">Sheryl Crow, we love your music&#8211;but you&#8217;re not an MD, so please stop scaring us with your cell phone use-brain tumor story. | <a
href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-82870915/stock-photo-bright-picture-of-businesswoman-with-cell-phone.html" rel="nofollow">Source: Shutterstock</a></p></div><p>The closest link to health issues caused by <strong>cell phone use</strong>&#8211;aside from the risks posed by talking or texting while driving (don&#8217;t do it!)&#8211;was an increase in sugar metabolism in the tissues on the side of peoples&#8217; heads closest to where they held their phones. But even in those cases, the actual effects of that sugar metabolism boost haven&#8217;t been studied enough to conclude anything. We love Sheryl Crow and we think she&#8217;s an incredible singer, guitarist, and songwriter, and we think it&#8217;s totally rad that she beat breast cancer (you go girl!)&#8211;but she <strong>isn&#8217;t a doctor</strong>.</p><p>While we&#8217;re pretty convinced that there&#8217;s no real risk to cell phone use and cancer, if you&#8217;re <strong>still concerned</strong> about a link between the effects of cell phone radiation and your health, you have a few <strong>options</strong>: you can use a headset, snag a BlueTooth, or use speakerphone (obvs when you&#8217;re in private!) to keep your phone away from your head. Now stop using this as an excuse not to call your crush!</p><p><strong>Do you think cell phone use or cell phone radiation cause brain tumors? Did Sheryl Crow&#8217;s brain tumor story scare you into not using your cell phone for a bit? What do you think are some effects of cell phone use that need to be studied further? Tell us in the <a
href="#comments" rel="nofollow">comments</a>!</strong></p><p
style="text-align: center;"><strong><a
title="The Science (Or Stupidity) Behind Nude Pictures" href="http://www.gurl.com/2012/05/25/science-nude-pictures/" target="_blank">Don&#8217;t do this with your cell phone!</a></strong></p><p><center><strong>And don&#8217;t forget to <a
href="http://twitter.com/gurldotcom" rel="nofollow">Follow Us On Twitter</a>!</strong></center></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.gurl.com/2012/09/12/effects-of-cell-phones/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>When To Break Up? Ask This App!</title><link>http://www.gurl.com/2012/06/12/when-to-break-up/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=when-to-break-up</link> <comments>http://www.gurl.com/2012/06/12/when-to-break-up/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Tue, 12 Jun 2012 16:51:15 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Jessica Sager</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Love&Sex]]></category> <category><![CDATA[break up]]></category> <category><![CDATA[breaking up]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cell phone]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cell phone app]]></category> <category><![CDATA[news]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.gurl.com/?p=68876</guid> <description><![CDATA[If you&#8217;re in a less than stellar relationship, you&#8217;re probably hashing out with your pals, your diary, or your puppy how to know when to break up. Well, you can stop bugging them now, because there&#8217;s an app for that. No, seriously. There&#8217;s an app that tells you when to break up with your boyfriend. &#8230; <a
class="read-more" href="http://www.gurl.com/2012/06/12/when-to-break-up/">Read More</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><div
id="attachment_68911" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><img
src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/when-to-break-up-2.jpg" alt="when to break up" title="when to break up 2" width="300" height="250" class="size-full wp-image-68911" /><p
class="wp-caption-text">Need to know when to break up with your guy? There&#039;s an app for that. | <a
href=&quot;http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-54864895/stock-photo-unhappy-female-teenage-student-sitting-outside-on-college-steps-using-mobile-phone.html&quot;>Source: Shutterstock</a></p></div>If you&#8217;re in a less than stellar relationship, you&#8217;re probably hashing out with your pals, your diary, or your puppy how to know <strong>when to break up</strong>. Well, you can stop bugging them now, because there&#8217;s an<strong> app for that</strong>.</p><p>No, seriously. There&#8217;s an <a
href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2157564/Should-I-break-boyfriend-The-iPhone-app-helps-decide-youd-better-staying-calling-quits.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">app</a> that tells you when to break up with your boyfriend.</p><p>The app, appropriately titled &#8220;<a
href="http://www.shouldibreakupwithmyboyfriend.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Should I Break Up With My Boyfriend?</a>&#8221; is the brainchild of Sarah Gray, who developed it when she was deciding when to break up with a boyfriend who wasn&#8217;t making her too happy.</p><p>Obviously, it&#8217;s always a tough decision to make, and the app makes it easier&#8211;but it won&#8217;t make up your mind for you, nor will it immediately tell you when to break up with your guy. It works by having you <strong>record your feelings</strong> and <strong>rate how you feel</strong> on a daily basis. The app then takes the data that you put in and compares your emotions within your relationship to your attitude and outlook on life in general over time. If your guy is making you miserable and you&#8217;re not a miserable person on your own, chances are you know when to break up&#8211;but sometimes empirical data and an objective voice are necessary to get you to take the leap into singledom.</p><p>The app offers customized advice and tracks and saves your daily entries on your boyfriends, including<strong> graphs</strong> showing your <strong>high and low points</strong>, so you won&#8217;t have any revisionist history later if you get lonely and tempted to text him. All the evidence and memories of his douchebaggery are right there for you, so you&#8217;ll know not only when to break up, but also that you made the right decision once you do.</p><div
id="attachment_68912" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 210px"><img
src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/when-to-break-up-3.jpg" alt="when to break up" title="when to break up 3" width="200" height="167" class="size-full wp-image-68912" /><p
class="wp-caption-text">We&#039;re guessing her data plan shows that those flowers don&#039;t make up for all the low points! | <a
href=&quot;http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-87768460/stock-photo-innocent-young-man-holds-flower-bouquet-while-his-girlfriend-looks-away.html&quot;>Source: Shutterstock</a></p></div><p>Of course, you can get similar results by keeping a journal and venting to your BFF, but for those of you who get tired of writing and want to keep your bestie from rolling her eyes when you tell her about the same recurring argument with your BF, it may prove useful.</p><p>While a program like this can definitely come in handy, if you&#8217;re thinking of breaking up with your boyfriend enough to spring for a $0.99 iPhone app to decide, chances are you&#8217;ve already made up your mind deep down. Especially if you&#8217;re not asking if you <em>should</em> break up, but rather <strong><em>when</em> to break up</strong>!</p><p><strong>Would you use an app to help decide when to break up with your boyfriend? How do you know when to break up with a guy? Tell us in the comments!</strong></p><p
style="text-align: center;"><strong><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2012/06/09/benefits-of-being-single/">Remember&#8211;There Are Some Serious Positives To Being Single!</a></strong></p><p
style="text-align: center;"><strong><a
href="http://twitter.com/#!/gurldotcom" rel="nofollow">Don&#8217;t Forget To Subscribe To Our Twitter Feed!</a></strong></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.gurl.com/2012/06/12/when-to-break-up/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Trust Me: Snooping Through Your Boyfriend&#8217;s Phone Is A Bad Idea</title><link>http://www.gurl.com/2012/05/10/looking-at-boyfriends-phone/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=looking-at-boyfriends-phone</link> <comments>http://www.gurl.com/2012/05/10/looking-at-boyfriends-phone/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 10 May 2012 16:00:03 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Jessica Booth</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category> <category><![CDATA[boyfriend]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cell phone]]></category> <category><![CDATA[dating]]></category> <category><![CDATA[relationships]]></category> <category><![CDATA[snooping]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.gurl.com/?p=64269</guid> <description><![CDATA[Looking through your BF's phone? Terrible idea.  <a
class="read-more" href="http://www.gurl.com/2012/05/10/looking-at-boyfriends-phone/">Read More</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div
id="attachment_64289" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2012/05/10/looking-at-boyfriends-phone/cell-phone-main/" rel="attachment wp-att-64289"><img
class="size-full wp-image-64289" title="Cell Phone" src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/cell-phone-main.jpg" alt="looking at boyfriends phone" width="300" height="250" /></a><p
class="wp-caption-text">Don&#39;t do it!! | <a
href=&quot;http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-94844608/stock-photo-hands-holding-smartphone.html?src=csl_recent_image-1&quot;>Source: ShutterStock</a></p></div><p>Put yourself in this scenario: your boyfriend leaves you alone in his room while he takes a shower. You&#8217;re sitting there doing nothing until you notice it: <strong>his cell phone.</strong> It&#8217;s just sitting there, innocently (but kind of staring at you at the same time), right next to you. And he&#8217;s in the shower, so there&#8217;s no chance he&#8217;ll walk in. And you <em>were</em> wondering who he was texting before. Oh, and look at that&#8230; there&#8217;s no password lock. So, <strong>what do you do?</strong></p><p>Rewind back a few years, and I was in that exact situation&#8230; and I made a choice that I totally and completely <strong>regret</strong> now. I grabbed his phone as fast as I could to start reading every text message and to look at every incoming/outgoing call before he walked back in the door. I&#8217;m really not proud to admit it, but it&#8217;s true: <strong>I used to be a total snooper.</strong> When I was dating my first boyfriend, I was really self-conscious and jealous, and convinced that he was cheating on me, no matter what he did to prove his devotion. I thought looking at his things would help me trust him more, and instead, it only made things <strong>worse</strong>.</p><p>While my snooping started off innocently enough, it escalated pretty quickly. The very first time I looked at my BF&#8217;s phone, I didn&#8217;t find anything suspicious, which made me feel a lot better &#8211; until I started feeling <strong>horribly guilty.</strong> I swore to myself that I would never do it again, but a few weeks later, I did. Once I realized that I could probably look through his phone whenever I wanted without him realizing it, I felt <strong>powerful</strong> in a very weird way. From then on, I started snooping on a regular basis.</p><div
id="attachment_64293" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 210px"><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2012/05/10/looking-at-boyfriends-phone/couple-fighting/" rel="attachment wp-att-64293"><img
class="size-medium wp-image-64293" title="couple-fighting" src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/couple-fighting-200x167.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="167" /></a><p
class="wp-caption-text">This is what it usually leads to... | <a
href=&quot;http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-44147839/stock-photo-a-cute-caucasian-teenage-girl-and-her-asian-teen-boyfriend-yell-at-each-other.html?src=csl_recent_image-1&quot;>Source: ShutterStock</a></p></div><p>I became <strong>obsessed</strong> with going through my boyfriend&#8217;s private things, and for the first few years, I never admitted it to him. The whole time, I was so worried about him being dishonest with me and meanwhile, <strong>I was the one being dishonest</strong> with him.</p><p>Everything was (relatively) fine&#8230; until I got <strong>caught</strong>. What I didn&#8217;t realize during all of my snooping was that once I found something weird in his phone, I would have to admit what I had done in order to talk to him about it. One day, I found texts from his ex-girlfriend. They were really innocent, but it didn&#8217;t matter: <em>I had finally found something</em>. In that moment, I wasn&#8217;t thinking clearly. I was furious and immediately<strong> confronted him.</strong></p><p>I&#8217;ll never forget that conversation. When I asked why he was still talking to his ex, my boyfriend stared at me, confused. &#8220;How do you know that?&#8221; he asked. I started blushing like crazy and tried to make something up, but the <strong>damage was done</strong>. He looked at me in shock and said, &#8220;Jess, did you go through my phone?&#8221; He was mad, but what really got me was that he was super hurt and <strong>disappointed</strong>. He explained that he thought he could trust me enough to leave me alone in a room with his phone &#8211; and he thought that I <strong>trusted him</strong> enough not to go behind his back and check up on him.</p><div
id="attachment_64297" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 210px"><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2012/05/10/looking-at-boyfriends-phone/young-couple-talking/" rel="attachment wp-att-64297"><img
class="size-medium wp-image-64297" title="Young Couple Talking" src="http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/young-couple-talking-200x167.jpg" alt="Young Couple Talking" width="200" height="167" /></a><p
class="wp-caption-text">If you think something&#39;s going on, talk about it instead. | <a
href=&quot;http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-90371944/stock-photo-couple-having-a-cup-of-tea-in-their-kitchen.html?src=csl_recent_image-1&quot;>Source: ShutterStock</a></p></div><p>Despite our huge fight that day, I kept going through his phone, and we kept <strong>fighting about it.</strong> When he put a password on his cell, I thought it was shady and we fought about it. When he eventually gave in and let me look through his phone, I demanded to know the reason behind every text. And when he started looking through <em>my</em> phone, it only led to more fights. Towards the end of our relationship,<strong> neither of us trusted each other</strong> at all &#8211; and it was a huge reason why we broke up.</p><p>Here&#8217;s the thing about snooping: it is way too easy to <strong>misunderstand</strong> what&#8217;s going on. I can&#8217;t tell you the amount of fights me and my BF got in over a text that meant the complete opposite of what I thought. Also? No matter what your boyfriend might have done wrong, he still has the right to get mad at you for going through his phone. Looking at your boyfriend&#8217;s private things is just <strong>a fight waiting to happen.</strong></p><p>When I broke up with that boyfriend, I promised myself I would never look through a future BF&#8217;s phone again. Now, when I feel like something shady is happening, <strong>I talk to my guy</strong> about it. I don&#8217;t go behind his back and look at his phone. There are much better ways to<strong> learn to trust</strong> someone, and snooping is definitely not one of them. I just wish I realized that a few years ago.</p><p><strong>Do you snoop through your boyfriend&#8217;s phone? Have you ever? Would you? Do you think it&#8217;s okay? <a
href="#respond" rel="nofollow">Tell us in the comments.</a></strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p
style="text-align: center;"><strong><a
href="http://www.gurl.com/2012/05/04/stop-facebook-stalking-facebook-and-relationships/" target="_blank">Here&#8217;s how to stop logging onto your BF&#8217;s Facebook</a></strong></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.gurl.com/2012/05/10/looking-at-boyfriends-phone/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>58</slash:comments> </item> </channel> </rss>