"The more you customise your phone for aesthetic reasons the more it reflects who you are. You see your phone as your self," said Sundar.

While people who live in Eastern cultures, which are typically more collectivist than Western cultures, tend to be more expressive with their mobile phone customisation than Westerners, both cultures become more attached to the devices after they are customised.

Technology companies may want to provide more ways for a consumer to customise products to enhance this feeling of attachment, researchers said.

"Tools for aesthetic customisation can enhance people's attachment to a device, regardless of culture," said Sundar.

"In this study we looked at phones, but it could also apply to other information technology products that people use in public, such as iPads," he said.

A total of 400 American students from a US university and 205 Korean students from various South Korean universities were asked to fill out a survey with 112 questions. Approximately 49 of the respondents did not have any customisation.

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