You may have heard of arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, or even coulrophobia, the fear of clowns, but have you heard of nomophobia? Nomophobia is the fear of being without your mobile device for a lengthy period of time and it comes from the phrase “no mobile phone.” This may seem rather silly to some, but recent studies show that it affects more people than most may think.
What is nomophobia?
Nomophobia can be caused by losing your phone, being out of network range, or having low battery power. Four years ago, YouGov reported that nomophobia affected millions. They conducted a survey with 2,100 participants and found that 53 percent became anxious when without their cell phones. A recent study by OnePoll used 1,000 participants and found that 66 percent feared being without their cell phones, a 13 percent increase in just a few years.
So, who’s most affected by nomophobia? The OnePoll survey says that this phobia mostly affects the younger generation (77 percent are between the ages of 18 and 24). The survey also says that more women tend to feel anxious about their cell phones than men (70 percent versus 61 percent). However, the survey also showed that men were more likely to carry two cell phones.
Cell phones serve a great purpose, but becoming attached to them isn’t healthy. So how do you know if you have a cell phone addiction and possible nomophobia? Digital Trends offers come signs that you may want to look out for. According to Digital Trends if you panic when you accidentally leave your phone at home, if a full battery only lasts you half a day, or if you cut other necessities to pay for your cell phone bill, you may have a problem.
Researchers from the YouGov survey have some great tips for avoiding nomophobia. Remember to bring your phone charger with you. Keep an extra record of your contacts somewhere safe. Consider carrying a pre-paid phone card in case of an emergency. If you use your phone to record appointments, keep a hard-copy as well.