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Nomophobia

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fear of not having a mobile phone

"Low battery anxiety" redirects here. For the related fear associated with electric vehicles, see Range anxiety.

Nomophobia [1] (short for "no mobile phobia") is the fear of not having a working mobile phone.[2][3] It has been considered a symptom of problematic digital media use in mental health, the definitions of which are not standardized for technical and genetic reasons.[4][5]

Prior to the 2008 re-coining of the above neologism as a portmanteau, the term "nomophobia" was first coined in 1803 as a standard neoclassical compound word defined as aversion to or fear of laws or rules according to the Oxford English Dictionary.[6][7]

Overview<br>[edit]

Nomophobia is usually considered a behavioral addiction, and shares characteristics with drug addiction. The connection of mobile phones to the Internet is one of the causes of nomophobia. The symptoms of addiction may be the result of a need for comfort due to factors such as increased anxiety, poor self-esteem, insecure attachment, or emotional instability. Some people overuse mobile phones to gain comfort in emotional relationships.[8]

Although nomophobia does not appear in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), it has been proposed as a "specific phobia", based on definitions given in the DSM-IV.[9][dubious – discuss] According to Bianchi and Philips (2005) psychological factors are involved in the overuse of a mobile phone.[10] These could include low self-esteem (when individuals looking for reassurance use the mobile phone in inappropriate ways) and extroverted personality (when naturally social individuals use the mobile phone to excess). It is also highly possible that nomophobic symptoms may be caused by other underlying and preexisting mental disorders, with likely candidates including social phobia or social anxiety disorder, social anxiety,[11] and panic disorder.[12]

History<br>[edit]

The term "nomophobia" comes from "no mobile phone phobia" and was first used in a 2008 study done by the United Kingdom's Post Office.[13] The study was run by the organization YouGov, which surveyed over 2,000 mobile phone users and found that about 53% of them experienced anxiety when they lost their phone, ran out of battery, or had no service.[13] This idea got more attention in the 2010s because smartphone use became more common and essential to everyday life, especially among younger users.

Since then, nomophobia has shown up in studies about psychology and society as a modern kind of anxiety that is tied to phone usage.[14] Although it is not officially a clinical disorder in manuals like the DSM-5 or ICD-11, nomophobia is now studied and looked at along with other addictions and is also looked at with conditions like smartphone use issues and internet addictions.[14]

Researchers keep studying how being away from phones affects people emotionally and socially, especially teens and college students. Some studies even link nomophobia to stress, anxiety, and sleep problems.[15]

Research evidence<br>[edit]

With the changes of technologies, new challenges are coming up on a daily basis. New kinds of phobias have emerged (the so-called techno-phobias). Since the first mobile phone was introduced to the consumer market in 1983, these devices have become significantly mainstream in the majority of societies.[16]

Smartphones have become ubiquitous throughout many societies.<br>Shambare, Rugimbana & Zhowa (2012) claimed that cell phones are "possibly the biggest non-drug addiction of the 21st century", and that college students may spend up to nine hours every day on their phones, which can lead to dependence on such technologies as a driver of modern life and an example of "a paradox of technology"[17] that is both freeing and enslaving.[18]

A survey conducted by SecurEnvoy showed that young adults and adolescents are more likely to have nomophobia. The same survey reported that 77% of the teens reported anxiety and worries when they were without their mobile phones, followed by the 25-34 age group and people over 55 years old. Some psychological predictors to look for in a person who might have this phobia are "self negative views, younger age, low esteem and self-efficacy, high extroversion or introversion, impulsiveness and sense of urgency and sensation seeking".[10]

Among students, frequent cell phone usage has been correlated with decreases in grade point average (GPA) and...