They go on to set the record straight by detailing what they claim neuroscience has established a consensus on, the existence of four basic brain networks, devoted to:
1. Default state,
2. Rewards,
3. Affect (Emotion) and
4. Control.
Here's their summary:
A 2000 study by Bartels and Zeki, The Neural Basis of Romantic Love, found what Waytz and Mason might call the Love Network, areas experiencing BOLD activation when gazing at the faces of lovers as opposed to friends or others. LIke the iPhone, they principally involve the ACC and insula as well as the caudate nucleus and putamen. The authors remark on the amount of overlap between these areas and the neural effects of addictive drugs such as cocaine and opioids (suggesting to me that love may be the original "addiction," a theory supported by "the honeymoon period" and the difficulties experienced by beaten wives to kick their habit/leave their spouse).
Given the addictive properties of handheld technology (remember Crackberries?), it wouldn't be surprising to find that people not necessarily loved their iPhones, but were certainly addicted to them.
; )