Ask HN: Do Cellphones Tap into Infant Care Evolved Behavior?
3 giardini 1 8/22/2025, 5:18:17 AM
I seek a ready analogy for the relationship people have with their cellphones. Little seems so apt as the relationship between a parent and an infant.
The (person, cellphone) relationship is considerably weaker than the (person, infant) relationship. In my case, I rarely wish to have the cellphone present at all, quite contrary to the way I feel about infants/children.
- Is this analogy apt?
- Might this provide insight into why cellphones+social media seem so intrusive? Do they tap into extant evolutionary mechanisms (infant care & protection, etc.)?
- Do some others view their cellphone as an unneeded annoyance that should usually be turned off?(I do!)
I think the tamagotchi also did this and I can’t believe I never made the connection there.
People will put protective cases on them, and the way they’re held, it’s sort of like they’re being cradled.
It’ll scream every now and then when it needs your attention. And then you pick it up and it soothes you and the device (the notifications on iOS automatically decrease in volume when you’re looking at the screen).