--- title: Here’s How to Know Who Your Real Friends Are description: Look at your phone texting and calling patterns. Scientists are realizing they give powerful insights about relationships. Via Sciencemag.org: Just by analyzing the calling patterns,... canonical: https://time.com/3600178/who-real-friends-are/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-11-22T05:01:21.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T08:02:33.243Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Here’s How to Know Who Your Real Friends Are og:description: Look at your phone texting and calling patterns. Scientists are realizing they give powerful insights about relationships. Via Sciencemag.org: Just by analyzing the calling patterns,... og:url: https://time.com/3600178/who-real-friends-are/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdff12bc86e236782/69876a52e53aba449c4d614e/iphone-apps.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Fackbook Acquires WhatsApp For $16 Billion og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here’s How to Know Who Your Real Friends Are twitter:description: Look at your phone texting and calling patterns. Scientists are realizing they give powerful insights about relationships. Via Sciencemag.org: Just by analyzing the calling patterns,... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdff12bc86e236782/69876a52e53aba449c4d614e/iphone-apps.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here’s How to Know Who Your Real Friends Are by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Nov 22, 2014 5:01 AM CUT  SAN FRANCISCO, CA - FEBRUARY 19: The Facebook and WhatsApp app icons are displayed on an iPhone on February 19, 2014 in San Francisco City. Facebook Inc. announced that it will purchase smartphone-messaging app company WhatsApp Inc. for $19 billion in cash and stock. (Photo illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) SAN FRANCISCO, CA - FEBRUARY 19: The Facebook and WhatsApp app icons are displayed on an iPhone on February 19, 2014 in San Francisco City. Facebook Inc. announced that it will purchase smartphone-messaging app company WhatsApp Inc. for $19 billion in cash and stock. (Photo illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)Justin Sullivan—Getty Images by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Nov 22, 2014 5:01 AM CUT Look at your phone texting and calling patterns. Scientists are realizing they give powerful insights about relationships. Via [Sciencemag.org](http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2009/08/17-01.html "undefined"): --- > “” --- There’s another great [article](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704547604576263261679848814.html "undefined") in the WSJ by Robert Lee Hotz about how scientists are using phone data to study our behavior — and learning more than they ever thought they could: --- > “” --- Of course, companies are very interested in this data: --- > “” --- And some of the results are downright unnerving: --- > “” --- A few other interesting tidbits: 1. Overall, our phones [make us happier](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-technology-make-us-more-or-less-happy "undefined"). (There’s even [an app for that](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-your-iphone-increase-your-happiness "undefined").) 2. They may be making us more selfish, however. Our phones can fulfill our need for human contact, [making us less inclined to go out of our way to help others](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-your-cellphone-making-you-more-selfish "undefined"). 3. These devices can distract us so much we don’t notice the world around us — [even if it contains unicycling clowns](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-your-cellphone-distract-you-so-much-you-d "undefined"). (To be fair, people may actually [like us better when we are distracted during a conversation](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-people-like-us-better-when-were-distracted "undefined").) 4. We’ve become so addicted to our phones that two-thirds of users report hearing “[phantom ringing](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-frequent-cell-phone-users-experience-phant "undefined").” 5. We rely so much on these devices that [a third of people under 30 can’t remember their home phone numbers](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-many-people-cant-remember-their-home-phon "undefined") — if they have one at all. 6. 5% of relationships were [ended by text message](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/little-known-statistics-on-sex-and-relationsh "undefined"). People even get [divorced via text](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-people-ever-get-divorced-via-text-message "undefined"). ([iPhone users are more promiscuous](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-iphone-users-more-promiscuous "undefined"), by the way.) 7. By stripping away the emotional information in faces and intonation, text messaging might be [simulating autism](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-technology-make-us-autistic "undefined"). 8. That said, text message reminders have effectively [encouraged s](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-text-messages-make-you-healthier-and-rich "undefined")[aving, reduced smoking](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-text-messages-make-you-healthier-and-rich "undefined") and [increased voting](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-can-you-easily-get-more-people-to-vote "undefined"). **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/08/how-can-you-know-who-your-real-friends-are/ "undefined")**_._** **Join over 135,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD "undefined")**.** Related posts: [How To Make Your Life Better By Sending Five Simple Emails](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/07/make-your-life-better/ "undefined") [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/ "undefined") [New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3600178/who-real-friends-are/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3600178/who-real-friends-are/"},"headline":"Here’s How to Know Who Your Real Friends Are","datePublished":"2014-11-22T05:01:21.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:02:33.243Z","description":"Look at your phone texting and calling patterns. Scientists are realizing they give powerful insights about relationships. 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