It's been well established by now that
smartphones are generally everywhere. More
than half of America owns at least one, and
global smartphone users are projected to reach
2 billion next year! Now, enjoying apps and
being connected is a great thing by itself, but
there's a dark side to it and you may be
wallowing in it right now.
Tell us, do you find yourself stricken by the
following symptoms - anxiety whenever you
don't have your smartphone on you;
constantly holding the bugger in hand,
checking notifications and scrolling endless
information feeds; experiencing phantom
vibrations (yes, this is real); missing out on
conversations, movies, and everyday life;
forgetting random things that you definitely
shouldn't be forgetting about because you're
constantly thinking of stuff you saw on social
networks.
If at least two of these checked out, boy, we've
got news for you! You are a sufferer of
nomophobia — that is, the phobia of not
having a smartphone all the darn time! Yes,
just like phantom vibrations, this stuff is
legitimately real. It's a rush of anxiety and fear
upon realizing that you're no longer connected
to the stream of updates from friends and
news sources. Yikes! Your connection breaking
off, your battery dying, data plan expiring, or,
fate forbid, forgetting your phone or losing it
somewhere — all of those factors can induce
bouts of nomophobia in the smartphone-using
population.
While some 20% of Americans aged 18-34
indulge in texting while having s#x, and many
others use their smartphones in the shower or
in the car, research by Versapak says that a
whopping 41% of surveyed Britons complained
about feeling anxious and not in control when
they are away from their beloved handsets,
while more than 51% admit to dealing with
"extreme tech anxiety". According to Mr. Leon
Edwards from Versapak, disconnecting from
technology can be "surprisingly stressful" with
the fear of "missing out" it invokes in those
unfortunate souls.
Somewhat amusingly, another survey from
SecurEnvoy claims that 70% of women suffer
from nomophobia as opposed to 61% of men.
Is it that ladies get more emotional over their
smartphones, or that they are generally
chattier and more connected? Now that would
make for a complicated question, which we'll
leave to someone else to tackle!
By the way, the impact of smartphone
addiction on our society is now comparable to
that of smoking. As smoke-free zones have
become commonplace in public places, so have
"no cellphone" signs emerged in all sorts of
establishments — bar, restaurants, cinemas,
even airport lounges and the like. See,
smartphones have gotten us to the point of
having to enforce the common courtesy of
paying attention to your partners through
artificial restrictions!
So, how do we cure nomophobia? Well, as it is
with surprisingly many things in life, the cure
is in you! Fight the habit with common sense
and eliminating bad practices. Don't text and
check updates while driving — you could end
up in an accident. Don't take your phone in
the bathroom — you'll get germs on it and
waste precious time. And, generally, unless you
are alone and someplace chill, just put the
darn phone down — you can bet the life that
goes on around you is more important than
your notifications.
If all else fails — when you don't have to juggle
emails and updates, change your smartphone
for a cellphone with no Internet connectivity
and go about your day like it's 1999 and WAP
is a thing for rich businessmen. The world
won't crumble. You won't miss out on anything
of importance. You won't suffer from
nomophobia. Isn't it just dandy?
source: Did you know: the phobia of not having a smartphone is now widespread, and doctors call it 'nomophobia'
smartphones are generally everywhere. More
than half of America owns at least one, and
global smartphone users are projected to reach
2 billion next year! Now, enjoying apps and
being connected is a great thing by itself, but
there's a dark side to it and you may be
wallowing in it right now.
Tell us, do you find yourself stricken by the
following symptoms - anxiety whenever you
don't have your smartphone on you;
constantly holding the bugger in hand,
checking notifications and scrolling endless
information feeds; experiencing phantom
vibrations (yes, this is real); missing out on
conversations, movies, and everyday life;
forgetting random things that you definitely
shouldn't be forgetting about because you're
constantly thinking of stuff you saw on social
networks.
If at least two of these checked out, boy, we've
got news for you! You are a sufferer of
nomophobia — that is, the phobia of not
having a smartphone all the darn time! Yes,
just like phantom vibrations, this stuff is
legitimately real. It's a rush of anxiety and fear
upon realizing that you're no longer connected
to the stream of updates from friends and
news sources. Yikes! Your connection breaking
off, your battery dying, data plan expiring, or,
fate forbid, forgetting your phone or losing it
somewhere — all of those factors can induce
bouts of nomophobia in the smartphone-using
population.
While some 20% of Americans aged 18-34
indulge in texting while having s#x, and many
others use their smartphones in the shower or
in the car, research by Versapak says that a
whopping 41% of surveyed Britons complained
about feeling anxious and not in control when
they are away from their beloved handsets,
while more than 51% admit to dealing with
"extreme tech anxiety". According to Mr. Leon
Edwards from Versapak, disconnecting from
technology can be "surprisingly stressful" with
the fear of "missing out" it invokes in those
unfortunate souls.
Somewhat amusingly, another survey from
SecurEnvoy claims that 70% of women suffer
from nomophobia as opposed to 61% of men.
Is it that ladies get more emotional over their
smartphones, or that they are generally
chattier and more connected? Now that would
make for a complicated question, which we'll
leave to someone else to tackle!
By the way, the impact of smartphone
addiction on our society is now comparable to
that of smoking. As smoke-free zones have
become commonplace in public places, so have
"no cellphone" signs emerged in all sorts of
establishments — bar, restaurants, cinemas,
even airport lounges and the like. See,
smartphones have gotten us to the point of
having to enforce the common courtesy of
paying attention to your partners through
artificial restrictions!
So, how do we cure nomophobia? Well, as it is
with surprisingly many things in life, the cure
is in you! Fight the habit with common sense
and eliminating bad practices. Don't text and
check updates while driving — you could end
up in an accident. Don't take your phone in
the bathroom — you'll get germs on it and
waste precious time. And, generally, unless you
are alone and someplace chill, just put the
darn phone down — you can bet the life that
goes on around you is more important than
your notifications.
If all else fails — when you don't have to juggle
emails and updates, change your smartphone
for a cellphone with no Internet connectivity
and go about your day like it's 1999 and WAP
is a thing for rich businessmen. The world
won't crumble. You won't miss out on anything
of importance. You won't suffer from
nomophobia. Isn't it just dandy?
source: Did you know: the phobia of not having a smartphone is now widespread, and doctors call it 'nomophobia'
