Researchers: iPhone separation anxiety affects cognitive performance

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Researchers from the University of Missouri say that iPhone separation anxiety is not only real, but it may affect intelligence.

The researchers conducted a study, published in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, to see how well subject performed in cognitive tests when they had their phones, and when their phones were taken away.

They found that iPhone users performed worse when they did not have their phone. Subjects also had a higher heart rate, blood pressure and feeling of anxiety.

The study's author says that, "iPhones are capable of becoming an extension of ourselves such that when separated, we experience a lessening of 'self' and negative psychological state."