London, Dec 13 (IANS): The heavy use of smartphones is affecting our state of mind and now, the devices are ruining the sex lives of people too, a new study has found.
The sexual health department at the Cheikh Khalifa Ben Zayed international university hospital in Casablanca in Morocco has revealed that nearly 60 per cent of the study participants admitted having problems in their sex lives because of smartphones.
According to a report in Morocco World News on Thursday citing the scientific study, all 600 participants had smartphones and a whopping 92 per cent admitted to using them at night.
Only 18 per cent of them put their phones on airplane mode in their bedrooms.
The study found that the smartphones negatively impacted adults aged between 20 and 45 years, with 60 per cent saying the devices disturbed their "sexual performances."
"Around 50 per cent of the interviewees declared "not being comfortable" with their sex lives because of the large portion of time allocated to smartphone use," the report mentioned
A survey by US-based SureCall -- a company that produces devices to boost cell phone reception, last year found that 17 per cent millennials reach for their smartphone during sex.
Almost three-quarters said they sleep with their smartphone either on or next to their bed at night. Those who sleep with their phone nearby were twice as likely to admit they feel fear or anxiety when away from the device.
Alarmingly, these people were also twice as likely to say they are "somewhat dissatisfied with their lives", the survey claimed.
An earlier study by Durham University and commissioned by condom-maker Durex found that people are more likely to be seduced by gadgets than by their partners.
One third of participants in the study admitted to interrupting sex to answer incoming calls.
Mark McCormack, who carried out the interviews, said taking gadgets into the bedroom has "potentially serious costs to relationships".
Couples keen to know how their smartphones could make their sex lives more exciting were surprised to learn the answer is the switch-off key.