Re-thinking the smartphone addiction: an allocative hypothesis.

Recent developments in the field of research on the problematic use of smartphones have led to the evidence that the addiction construct does not perfectly fit the description of this phenomenon. In addition, recent studies aimed at the study of resting state functional connectivity in problematic smartphone users, have suggested that it is very important to develop new tools that can capture narrower aspects of the pathological usage behavior of these devices. In this review, in the wake of the work of Bruineberg and Fabry (2021), I propose the allocative hypothesis behind the problematic use of the smartphone, where the constant proximity of this device, following the hypothesis of cognitive extension, favors the extension of mind wandering, resulting in a decrease in its regulatory potential, especially but not exclusively associated with daily activities.