The weather in many areas continuously grow colder as we venture further into fall and drift silently into winter, and with colder weather brings more indoor activity. With less options for outdoor fun, many people get what’s called the “winter blues”. This is the time of year when some people start to eat more, sleep more, and generally act like a bear about to go into hibernation. And us bears must really enjoy our quality cell phone time, because numbers tell us is that cell phone usage increases during the winter months.

Naturally, when it snows or becomes icy outside most people aren’t going to want to hop in their car and drive to the nearest hip happenin’ spot to have a good time and socialize with friends, all while risking their own safety. Fortunately we have smartphones now, where instead we can use Skype and provide our own food and drinks and just dance by ourselves to the music we already like and try very hard not to look pathetic, but how can one look pathetic when nobody’s around to see it? Exactly! But that’s beside the point.

Research is showing that people’s phone bills tend to be higher during the dark winter months, most likely due to the increased indoor activity and lack of face-to-face socialization. But is it the winter blues that turn us to our phones, or our phones that turn us to winter blues?

It seems that question is a stalemate, as each variable helps the other out in some way. While research shows increased phone bills, which means increased phone usage, research also links that the more we use our phones, the less sleep and more depressed we can become. That means even when it’s not winter, phone usage can be a factor in our irritability. But when we are limited in the amount of activities we can do in regards to leaving the house, for those of us who are addicted to our cell phones, the habit can create abysmal results.

Aside from the reasoning that we have increased phone usage from the winter blues, there’s also the surplus number of holidays that seem to bounce back to back. This means you’ve got family from all corners of the country calling you, making plans, asking how the kids are doing or how your cat’s bypass surgery went for two or three months straight. And let’s not forget all those fun games of phone tag we all know and love. With many phone plans focusing more on data and texting and less on minutes, this can take its toll on anyone’s bill.

I personally have a problem with putting my phone down, especially when I can’t go anywhere due to inclement weather. Maybe I should take a lesson from Taylor and not use any of my gadgets for a full 24 hours, and spend some actual, quality time with my family and give them my undivided attention. After all, this time of year is when we are most reminded to be grateful for what we have. Is there any better way than to spend it with the people we love most?

Readers, do you notice an increase in your bills when winter time rolls around? Or does your bill and usage stay about the same? Let me know in the comments!

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