---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The almost biological certainty that the…"
description: "\"“The almost biological certainty that the more often you checked your cell phone, the more likely you were to find that one wondrous message or notific..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bb/courtney-maum-24597_cell-phone_the-almost-biological-certainty-that-the_1553422.jpg"
---

#  The almost biological certainty that the more often you…

![“The almost biological certainty that the more often you checked your cell phone, the more likely you were to find that one wondrous message or notification that would improve your entire life.” quote by Courtney Maum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bb/courtney-maum-24597_cell-phone_the-almost-biological-certainty-that-the_1553422.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bb/courtney-maum-24597_cell-phone_the-almost-biological-certainty-that-the_1553422.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bb/courtney-maum-24597_cell-phone_the-almost-biological-certainty-that-the_1553422.jpg)

> ““The almost biological certainty that the more often you checked your cell phone, the more likely you were to find that one wondrous message or notification that would improve your entire life.””

[Courtney Maum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-maum/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Frequent phone checking creates a bias toward noticing rare, uplifting messages, making them seem more life‑changing than they are.

**In simple terms:** Checking often makes rare messages feel more important.

Key Takeaway

Limit phone checks to avoid false significance.

Themes

attention technology expectation gratitude

Mood

anxious hopeful

Type

observational cautionary

When to use this quote

- social media scrolling
- waiting for news
- seeking validation
- daily routine

Key Concepts

confirmation bias availability heuristic

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you rely on rare messages for motivation?
- How does this habit affect your productivity?

A Different Perspective

It can lead to overvaluing random events and neglecting consistent effort.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cell phone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cell-phone/) [Entire life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entire-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Technology-addiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology-addiction/)

## Related quotes

> [“I swear to God, if GreatReads doesn't stop sending me these notification emails...how many times do I have to turn them off?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-marchande/i-swear-to-god-if-greatreads-doesn-t-stop-sending-me-these/)

Melanie Marchande

> [What if there was a notification that said, your crush is viewing your profile now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-if-there-was-a-notification-that-said-your-crush-is-viewing-your/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Red notification bubbles on any icon, including mail, drive me crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mullenweg/red-notification-bubbles-on-any-icon-including-mail-drive-me-crazy/)

[Matt Mullenweg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mullenweg/)

> [Facebook is like a fridge.. Even when u know there's nothing new going on, u still go on and check it every 10 minutes..…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/just-4-social-networkerz/facebook-is-like-a-fridge-even-when-u-know-there-s-nothing-new-going/)

Just 4 Social Networkerz

> [At least phone will notify me of low battery, unlike humans left without a notification!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinku-razoria/at-least-phone-will-notify-me-of-low-battery-unlike-humans-left/)

[Tinku Razoria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinku-razoria/)

> [“confirmation that their notification”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-thomas/confirmation-that-their-notification/)

Susan Thomas

> [The moment of disappointment when you get a notification, and you think it's the one you have been waiting for, and it's a FarmVille…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-moment-of-disappointment-when-you-get-a-notification-and-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“I urge all responsible citizens across the world to demand the parliament of your country to ban the use of any social media platform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/i-urge-all-responsible-citizens-across-the-world-to-demand-the/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [“So the best defense against porn, for every member of our family, is a full life--the kind of life that technology cannot provide on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-crouch/so-the-best-defense-against-porn-for-every-member-of-our-family-is-a/)

[Andy Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-crouch/)

> [“Advances in technology can be empowering, progressive and enriching. History has shown this across civilisations and societies. But it has also shown, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rasheed-ogunlaru/advances-in-technology-can-be-empowering-progressive-and-enriching/)

[Rasheed Ogunlaru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rasheed-ogunlaru/)

> [“Tech isn’t morally good or bad until it’s wielded by the corporations that fashion it for mass consumption. Apps and platforms can be designed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-alter/tech-isn-t-morally-good-or-bad-until-it-s-wielded-by-the-corporations/)

[Adam Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-alter/)

> [“The digital age greatly assisted the selfish and heartless in degrading humanity. Being a part of humanity, when would they realize they were degrading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasun-ether/the-digital-age-greatly-assisted-the-selfish-and-heartless-in/)

[Jasun Ether](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasun-ether/)

> [“it turned out that there was something terribly stressful about visual telephone interfaces that hadn't been stressful at all about voice-only interfaces. Videophone consumers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace-infinite-jest/it-turned-out-that-there-was-something-terribly-stressful-about/)

David Foster Wallace Infinite Jest

> [“I believe the day Einstein feared the most is when people circulate pictures of dead bodies of relatives on WhatsApp and get Thumbs Down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketan-waghmare/i-believe-the-day-einstein-feared-the-most-is-when-people-circulate/)

Ketan Waghmare

> [“People who smile while they are alone used to be called insane, until we invented smartphones and social media.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/people-who-smile-while-they-are-alone-used-to-be-called-insane-until/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

## More by Courtney Maum

> [“the color-matching company had to make up for their dismal mistake with 2015, which they’d dubbed the year of “marsala,” which only ended up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-maum/the-color-matching-company-had-to-make-up-for-their-dismal-mistake/)

[Courtney Maum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-maum/)

> [“love doesn’t make you blind, it makes you optimistic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-maum/love-doesn-t-make-you-blind-it-makes-you-optimistic/)

[Courtney Maum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-maum/)

> [“If you were to succeed in prolonging the deliriously ecstatic puppy-dog love stage of the first months of courtship through-out the entire relationship itself-through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-maum/if-you-were-to-succeed-in-prolonging-the-deliriously-ecstatic-puppy/)

[Courtney Maum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-maum/)

> [“You love people. They disappoint you. But sometimes, they don’t. They just keep loving you, right through it all, waiting for you to wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-maum/you-love-people-they-disappoint-you-but-sometimes-they-don-t-they/)

[Courtney Maum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-maum/)

> [“When you're clear-sighted, you settle into experiences that feed you until they become so familiar and soul-filling that they're a nourishing routine, and as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-maum/when-you-re-clear-sighted-you-settle-into-experiences-that-feed-you/)

[Courtney Maum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-maum/)

> [“American girls always smell like fruit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-maum/american-girls-always-smell-like-fruit/)

[Courtney Maum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-maum/)

> [“When we start a relationship, professional, romantic or otherwise, even when we're born, we establish these threads of energy that connect us to another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-maum/when-we-start-a-relationship-professional-romantic-or-otherwise-even/)

[Courtney Maum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-maum/)

> [“Also, she wasn't a fan of being scared, and it had to be petrifying to love someone more than yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-maum/also-she-wasn-t-a-fan-of-being-scared-and-it-had-to-be-petrifying-to/)

[Courtney Maum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-maum/)

> [“In America, the border of the property would have been gated to keep children and sleepwalkers and drunkards from dropping to their deaths, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-maum/in-america-the-border-of-the-property-would-have-been-gated-to-keep/)

[Courtney Maum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-maum/)

> [“They’ve always made a bigger deal about the side effects of drinking pregnant in America than they have in France. But then, the Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-maum/they-ve-always-made-a-bigger-deal-about-the-side-effects-of-drinking/)

[Courtney Maum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-maum/)

> [“MOMENTS OF great import are often tinged with darkness because perversely we yearn to be let down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-maum/moments-of-great-import-are-often-tinged-with-darkness-because/)

[Courtney Maum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-maum/)

> [“You know what we say in America about people who assume things? That they have two hours to get the fuck out of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-maum/you-know-what-we-say-in-america-about-people-who-assume-things-that/)

[Courtney Maum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-maum/)

> [“But you lose the opportunity to share the good things when you do something bad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-maum/but-you-lose-the-opportunity-to-share-the-good-things-when-you-do/)

[Courtney Maum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-maum/)

> [“I will say this about the upper echelon in France: they know how to spend money. From what I saw living in America, wealth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-maum/i-will-say-this-about-the-upper-echelon-in-france-they-know-how-to/)

[Courtney Maum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-maum/)

> [“Americans didn't know why they'd become so obsessed with cacti-they just accepted the fact that drought-resistant plants were the new must-haves for office and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-maum/americans-didn-t-know-why-they-d-become-so-obsessed-with-cacti-they/)

[Courtney Maum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-maum/)

[Explore all 24 Courtney Maum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-maum/)

## More Cell phone quotes

> [“What you’re holding in your hands is a BookShots Flames story. It’s part of a revolution in reading. Hand-picked by James Patterson, BookShots Flames…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ciotta/what-you-re-holding-in-your-hands-is-a-bookshots-flames-story-it-s/)

Beth Ciotta

> [“Kindle Paperwhite 3G models use the same technology as cell phones, so they are dependent on cellular coverage areas. By default, a 3G device…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amazon/kindle-paperwhite-3g-models-use-the-same-technology-as-cell-phones-so/)

amazon

> [“I’m not sure how the ponies happened, though I have an inkling: “Can I get you anything?” I’ll say, getting up from a dinner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/i-m-not-sure-how-the-ponies-happened-though-i-have-an-inkling-can-i/)

[Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/)

> [I like everything with a heaping dose of feminitity, including my cell phone. I created this phone for the classic woman, who like me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimora-lee-simmons/i-like-everything-with-a-heaping-dose-of-feminitity-including-my-cell/)

[Kimora Lee Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimora-lee-simmons/)

> [“People were sitting together, talking and telling stories face-to-face again, instead of staring at a cell phone screens while texting or chatting with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-foster/people-were-sitting-together-talking-and-telling-stories-face-to-face/)

[Mike Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-foster/)

> [“To me, at least in retrospect, the really interesting question is why dullness proves to be such a powerful impediment to attention. Why we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/to-me-at-least-in-retrospect-the-really-interesting-question-is-why/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [“Another night then,' Mom said. 'Maybe on the weekend we can have a barbecue and invite your sister.' 'Or,' I said turning to Rafe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/another-night-then-mom-said-maybe-on-the-weekend-we-can-have-a/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

> [Girls are like cell phones they love to be held and talked to but whewn you press the wrong buttons you will be disconnected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/superman/girls-are-like-cell-phones-they-love-to-be-held-and-talked-to-but/)

Superman

> [Sometimes life really sucks. Then I see your name pop up on my cell phone and I cant help but smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-life-really-sucks-then-i-see-your-name-pop-up-on-my-cell/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I remember one point seeing I had like 60-some different cell phones. I know I only use one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-kosar/i-remember-one-point-seeing-i-had-like-60-some-different-cell-phones/)

Bernie Kosar

> [Cell phones are so convenient that they're an inconvenience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/cell-phones-are-so-convenient-that-they-re-an-inconvenience/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“The history of the sexual vanguard in America was a long list of people who had been ridiculed, imprisoned, or subjected to violence. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-witt/the-history-of-the-sexual-vanguard-in-america-was-a-long-list-of/)

Emily Witt

> [The increase in chemicals and the increase in technology, like wi-fi and cell phone use that's going through our bodies all of the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-jennings/the-increase-in-chemicals-and-the-increase-in-technology-like-wi-fi/)

[Mason Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-jennings/)

> [But I'm acutely aware that the possibility of fraud is even more prevalent in today's world because of the Internet and cell phones and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/but-i-m-acutely-aware-that-the-possibility-of-fraud-is-even-more/)

[Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/)

> [“was my first indication that the policies of Mamaw’s “party of the working man”—the Democrats—weren’t all they were cracked up to be. Political scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/was-my-first-indication-that-the-policies-of-mamaw-s-party-of-the/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

[Browse all 982 Cell phone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cell-phone/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The almost biological certainty that the more often you checked your cell phone, the more likely you were to find that one wondrous message or notification that would improve your entire life.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Courtney Maum"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-maum/the-almost-biological-certainty-that-the-more-often-you-checked-your/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cell phone"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-maum/the-almost-biological-certainty-that-the-more-often-you-checked-your/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bb/courtney-maum-24597_cell-phone_the-almost-biological-certainty-that-the_1553422.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bb/courtney-maum-24597_cell-phone_the-almost-biological-certainty-that-the_1553422.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bb/courtney-maum-24597_cell-phone_the-almost-biological-certainty-that-the_1553422.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The almost biological certainty that the more often you checked your cell phone, the more likely you were to…” — Courtney Maum",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Courtney Maum",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-maum/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The almost biological certainty that the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-maum/the-almost-biological-certainty-that-the-more-often-you-checked-your/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-maum/the-almost-biological-certainty-that-the-more-often-you-checked-your/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
