Why you should always put your phone face down on a table (hint: it's not just about being polite)

A friend of mine recently told me, "I always keep my phone on silent mode… which doesn't matter because I compulsively look at it every three minutes anyway."

He's not the only one. From becoming a text addict to having full-blown smartphone dependency, the urge to look at and interact with our "flat things" has been deeply ingrained into our collective behavior for some time now.

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Monitoring your phone to check whenever it lights up seems innocent enough -- a minor habit, utterly devoid of consequence. But is this seemingly harmless gesture actually working against you, subtly undermining your privacy, focus, and even your phone's longevity?

Placing your phone face down is a small change that can have surprising ripple effects on your digital well-being and device health. Here are five ...