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Apparently, smartphones are changing the shape and size of our thumbs.
It seems a rising number of people are suffering from “swiper’s thumb” due to the overuse of touchscreen devices.
New research by the O2 Mobile Life Report claims that people who use their phones a lot may have seen the thumb in their dominant hand become bigger by as much as 15%.
The study also found those who noticed the most changes are young adults aged 18 to 34 – with one in eight developing “swiper’s thumb” as a result of excessive swiping and using large handsets.
It seems a third of mobile phone users felt their bodies had changed because of smartphone use and many said they had developed an indent in their little finger from holding their phones in a certain way.
The study by phone provider O2 also found people spend an average of two hours a day on their phones, and two in five of those surveyed believe our bodies will evolve because of the way we use our mobile phones.
“Our thumb muscles are highly complex and located in the base of the thumb as well as in the forearm,” said Nicola Goldsmith, who is a hand therapist.
“So an increase in ‘thumb swiping’ could add to muscle strength and bulk in these muscles.
“As the research shows, these localised changes – such as enlarged thumbs and little finger indents – are becoming the new normal as younger adults are using the phone for longer periods of time.”
In addition to that, phantom vibration from a pocket – where smartphone users imagine they can feel their phone alerting them to calls, messages or notifications – is also common.
The report which surveyed 2,000 people also said one in five of us can’t go a day without our phones, with nearly 20% admitting they have fallen asleep with their mobiles in their hands.
