Smartphones have become almost necessary to function in our everyday lives. The need for immediate responses, intrigue in social media, desire for access to information access and wanting  to be constantly entertained have driven smartphones to take over virtually every aspect of our lives, even the intimate parts.

This constant connection with the outside world that smartphones have provided also threatens our ability to enjoy the benefits of the deep, emotional connections we make with others in person. And, on days like Valentine’s Day, these threats are heightened. Valentine’s Day is the one day of the year we, as a society spend $13.19 billion dollars on showing others how much they mean to us, but the constant updates on the lives of others through our smartphones pose many serious dangers to our love lives.




 Image via Shutterstock

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, it's interesting to see how smartphones are influencing our relationships. In fact, Asurion (News - Alert), a provider of technology protection services, has unveiled a national survey of 5,000 smartphone users, showing that 30 percent of survey respondents believe their smartphone is more helpful than their significant other.

"The survey highlights the reliance consumers have on their phones and reveals a few quirks often associated with those relationships,” said Bettie Colombo, spokesperson for Asurion, in a statement.  

Asurion partnered with Survey Sampling International to examine cell phone and texting trends. Asurion surveyed a total of 5,000 wireless subscribers between the ages of 16 and 65-years-old who have a role in cell phone-related decision-making in their household.   

The study revealed that more than 20 percent of survey respondents admitted to deleting messages their other half may find inappropriate. Meanwhile, some couples have taken secret messages to the next level, with three percent of respondents confessing to actually owning a secret phone their partner doesn't know about.

On the other hand, in some relationships the smartphone acts as a form of playful seduction. The survey found that 17 percent of all respondents have texted a "risque" photo and four percent of those noted they had sent a "risque" photo to the wrong person.  While in other relationships, seven percent of participants confessed to sending a "Dear John" letter in the form of a cold text message. 

To see more surprising survey results about consumers and the relationship they have with their mobile devices, follow @Asurion on Twitter (News - Alert).