Looking at your phone makes other people nearby do the same in less than a minute, a new study reveals. Researchers in Italy investigated human'mimicry' or the'chameleon effect' – subconsciously replicating the physical actions of another human. Out of 184 people, half replicated the action of touching and looking at their phone 30 seconds after a subconscious trigger, researchers found. The experts say copying smartphone use is similar to the well-known'contagious yawning' phenomenon, when an individual yawns in response to someone else doing so. Mammals have evolved to subconsciously mimic each others' behaviour without knowing it.