I've always thought you could best judge a person's character by the way they react when they can't find their phone.

It's an addiction, and people will react accordingly. Personally, if I lose my iPhone, I break into full-on panic mode.

I'll call my cell at least a dozen times, break out the laptop and use Find My iPhone, and if none of that works I'll likely burst into tears.

I'm not alone in this feeling.

A Pew Research survey found that nearly half of all American smartphone users claim they can't live without their phones.

To be fair, the other half surveyed said their phones weren't necessary in their day-to-day lives, so at least there are some non-tech afflicted people out there.

Whichever side of the coin you're on, one thing is for sure: technology has a way of taking over our lives.

My girlfriend, for example, who somehow managed to live without cell service for three years, now has a fully functioning phone and can't seem to break away from it for even the slightest period of downtime. (Trust me, it's our biggest point of contention.)

That cell phone (and the $100 a month phone bill attached to it) has become her lifeline. Her business depends on it, her schedule is ruled by it and if it were ever to go missing she would likely have some serious withdrawal symptoms.

In fact, one study conducted by researchers at Swansea and Milan Universities found that people who lose their phones suffer from withdrawal symptoms just like drug users.

So, what do we do about it?

Well, first you have to put down your phone. Try turning it completely off the next time you go out with friends. I think you'll find it can reap some serious benefits.

And if those reasons aren't enough to make you take a break from tech, check out the video up top to see just how much technology can negatively impact your life.

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