Psychology says people who get anxious when a text goes unanswered for too long aren't simply afraid of being ignored — they're often reacting to an old pattern in which silence once meant distance, rejection or the sudden withdrawal of someone they depended on

My phone is face down on the table, which is the lie I tell myself about being present. I sent a message two hours ago. Nothing since. I have picked the phone up four times, and each time I fram...