Phones alleviate boredom, research shows (podcast)

One of the many findings of a recent Pew Research Center study called "Americans and their cell phones" is that "42 percent of cell phone owners used their phone for entertainment when they were bored."

The study also found that 40 percent or respondents have used their phone to deal with an emergency and that "13 percent of cell owners pretended to be using their phone in order to avoid interacting with the people around them." For more, see Eric Mack's post "Ever faked a cell phone call? You're not alone."

The study also showed some differences based on age. More than two-thirds (64 percent) of 18- to 29-year-old respondents used their phone to access the Internet, compared to 54 percent of 30- to 49-year-olds and 26 percent of 50- to 64-year-olds. A whopping 95 percent of adults under 30 who participated in the study said they send or receive text messages, compared to 85 percent of the 30- to 49-year-olds, and 58 percent of people between 50 and 64.

To find out more about the study, I spoke with its author, Aaron Smith, who is a senior research specialist at Pew Research Center.