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Keller @ Large: Cellphones Are Goodwill's Enemy

BOSTON (CBS) - One of my sons reports that when he and his friends get together for a monthly dinner they organize, they have a deal – everyone puts their smartphone in the center of the table, and the first person to reach for it during the meal gets stuck with the tab.

Let's face it, we need strong deterrents, financial or otherwise, to pry us away from our phones these days.

Smartphone obsession has taken hold, far out of proportion to the value of the content we are potentially absorbing. Unless you are awaiting the birth of a grandchild, or a pickup call from your middle-schooler, or the verdict on your boffo job interview, there is nothing your phone can deliver that you can't wait to receive for a few minutes.

And it turns out our compulsive phone habit is damaging us in a variety of ways.

The New York Times reports that when we bend our heads forward to read the thing, it increased the stress on our necks as if we had placed a five-gallon can of paint there. Doctors are now treating teenagers for stooping from upper back curvatures they had previously only seen in elderly people.

And that's not all.

The chronic smartphone addict slouch "changes your mood, your memory and even your behavior. Your physical posture sculpts your psychological posture, and could be the key to a happier mood and greater self-confidence."

And I'll add one more thing that happens when your nose is constantly buried in your phone – you become lousy company.

As we enter a holiday season filled with rare opportunities to visit with family, friends and co-workers, we all might enjoy it more if we acknowledge that our smartphones are the enemy of seasonal goodwill.

Not to mention good health.

Listen to Jon's commentary:

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