They connect us in unprecedented ways.

But are they leaving us update addicted, glass tapping junkies in the process?

On a typical day, the average person will check their phone 85 times more than half of those uses will come in short bursts lasting 30 seconds or less.

In total will be chained to our phones for five hours during the day, twice as long as we're likely to think we're using them in the office.

It's estimated that employees spend as much as 28 of their work days on social media and non work related tasks And it typically takes 20 minutes to return to the original task after an interruption.

One of the reasons we keep reaching for our phones is that when we get a text to refresh a website, it excites neurons in an area of the midbrain which in turn releases dopamine into the brain's pleasure centers.

A similar process enables nicotine gambling and cocaine addictions, although in higher amounts, which is why it's hard to resist your phone in the car.

49 of Americans say that they text while behind the wheel, despite 46 states having laws that Bannon one in every four accidents involve someone using a cell phone And nine Americans are killed every day from distracted driving.

Once device use begins to affect our relationships and physical health.

It's classified as Internet addiction.

This American psychological association recognized condition is estimated to affect six of the global population.

However, one study of American college students found the number could be as high as 26.3%,, although innocuous sounding internet addiction may have very real effects on the brain.

A study of internet addicted video gamers revealed several small regions in the subjects brains actually shrunk from long term excessive video game playing.

In some cases as much as 10 to 20% one of the affected areas.

The left posterior limb of the internal capsule is linked to cognitive and executive functions.

This could impair decision making abilities, including the choice to log off and return to the real world, ah the real world where we do things like go to the park, meet friends for dinner, get drinks on a date and check our phones incessantly during all those activities.