Chances are you use email. If you’re like 88 percent of Americans, you also own a cell phone. And if you’re among the well-connected 46 percent, you check your email ON your cell phone. Of course, even if you don’t use a smartphone, it’s likely that you own a home computer or an iPad or some other device that keeps you connected to email and the online world and, in turn, to work and social networks and everyone who wants to be in touch with you at any given time. All of this can make us feel more connected. But it can also make us less connected to those who are sitting right next to us. And it can be addictive.

Daniel Sieberg has thought a lot about how to deal with the electronic addiction that many of us have willingly taken on. He’s the author of "The Digital Diet: A Four Step Plan to Break Your Tech Addiction and Regain Balance in Your Life." Danielle is a Takeaway listener who didn’t realize just how much time she was spending on her smart phone until it broke two weeks ago. Since then, she’s been using a regular cell phone, and spending a lot more time paying attention to her family.

During this segment, John said: "We just don’t know how to be alone." That reminded us of this beautiful piece of YouTube poetry by Tanya Davis and Andrea Dorfman, How to Be Alone.