Cell phone and instant messaging addictions are driven by
materialism and impulsiveness and can be compared to consumption pathologies
like compulsive buying and credit card misuse, according to a Baylor University
study in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions.
"Cell phones are a part of our consumer culture,"
said study author James Roberts, Ph.D., professor of marketing and the Ben H.
Williams Professor of Marketing at Baylor's Hankamer School of Business.
"They are not just a consumer tool, but are used as a status symbol.
They're also eroding our personal relationships."