We’re well aware that mobiles phones aren’t exactly a shining beacon of wellbeing and happiness. Yet – like an unhealthy relationship we just can’t quit – we use them more compulsively than ever.

One in ten of us checks our phone as soon as we wake up in the morning, and a staggering 30% do so in the middle of the night.

A third of Brits argue with their partners over phone use, a tenth of us tune in during meal-times and the majority of us spend over three hours a day scrolling, messaging and monitoring.

No wonder they’re a barrier to intimacy, that distract us from real-life events and relationships.

And now, as well as triggering stress and sleep disturbances, a new study has found that mobile phones can make us less intelligent just by looking at them.

The mere presence of your phone is a ‘brain drain’: study