A few years ago, magazines, newspapers, and books were the main allies when going to the bathroom, but recently, the cell phone has become an indispensable companion for many people. And this has its consequences: research published in the scientific journal PLOS One warns that using a cell phone while on the toilet may be associated with a higher risk of developing hemorrhoids. The key to the study, conducted by a team of researchers from Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, is that users who take their cell phone to the bathroom end up spending more time there than those who don't, and that this may contribute to suffering from this gastrointestinal condition.