Did you know that 96% of families have at least one mobile phone? And that 77% of people who access the Internet do so through this device? This is confirmed by the National Institute of Statistics with its data.
However, it is not just that we have a mobile phone: we have become addicted to it. As a result of this addiction, an intense fear arises of disconnecting from the mobile, of not having it, or simply running out of battery. How long could you be without a mobile?
If your answer is ‘for a short time’ or ‘practically nothing’, then we are talking about monophobia, a phobia characterized by a persistent, intense and disproportionate fear of not having a mobile phone. But what is the origin of this concept? What symptoms characterize it? We tell you everything.
Specific phobias and nomophobia
Phobias (simple or specific phobias) are anxiety disorders characterized by intense, irrational, and disproportionate anxiety or fear of a given object or situation. They also generate intense discomfort or interference in daily life.
There are phobias for everything: one of them, the phobia or the intense (and irrational) fear of not having a mobile phone. This is the case of nomophobia, a disorder derived from addiction to mobile phones. Where does this concept come from? How was it “discovered”? Who is more prone to this fear? Let’s find out.
Nomophobia: concept and origin
Nomophobia is defined as an irrational fear of spending a period of time without a mobile phone or leaving the house without it. It would actually be a type of mobile addiction (or rather, a fear that arises from that addiction).
In a study published, points out that 46% of people consider that their mobile phone is essential and, furthermore, that they would return home if they forgot it.
The term “nomophobia” is an acronym for the English expression “no-mobile-phone-phobia ” and was coined during a study carried out by the British post office Royal Mail. The study was commissioned by the Yugo survey institute, in order to estimate and explore the anxiety suffered by many mobile phone users (or rather, addicted to it).
The study that led to the term
The mentioned study was carried out in 2011 in the United Kingdom and had a sample of 2,163 people. The results of the survey were as follows: 53% of mobile phone users in the UK tend to feel anxious when they lose their phone, run out of battery or credit, or have no coverage.
More data: it was possible to verify that, of the participants, 60% of the men and 20% of the women suffered from nomophobia. An additional 9% felt stressed when their phone was turned off.
Another curious fact from the study: the stress levels of a person suffering from nomophobia are comparable to the nerves one has the day before the wedding or visiting the dentist.
Why does this anxiety appear in nomophobia? The reasons the study found were as follows:
- 55% of the participants stated that the cause lay in the fact of being “isolated” from possible calls or messages from friends and family.
- 10% said that the cause of this anxiety was work (which required them to always be connected ).
Symptoms of nomophobia or fear of being without a mobile
How does a person with nomophobia behave? What symptoms does it show? Some of the most frequent are:
- You constantly look at your mobile (either to check if you have received a message, to check the news or social networks, to “what Sapp”, etc.).
- Do not turn off the mobile at any time.
- He is always waiting to locate a socket to charge the mobile.
- The mobile steals hours of sleep (it is with him until it is time to go to bed ). It is what is called social insomnia.
- You don’t want to go to places where there is no coverage.
- You get irritated, angry or sad if you don’t have your mobile phone or when your battery runs out.
In a few words: the person with nomophobia is unable to disconnect from the mobile because they have generated a real dependency on it. It can also manifest a symptom that has recently been dubbed “fear missing out” (fear of being disconnected).
Physiological and psychological symptoms
On a physical (physiological) and psychological level, the person with nomophobia who must face the situation of not having their mobile phone, may suffer:
- Anxiety.
- Tachycardia.
- Sweating.
- Headaches.
- Pressure in the chest.
- Irritability.
- Sadness.
- Obsessive thoughts.
Who is more prone to nomophobia?
We can all develop nomophobia. However, children and adolescents, boys and girls who were born “connected” to mobile phones, the Internet and social networks, are more likely to suffer from nomophobia.
In this age group, we find that young people spend a large part of their time checking their mobile phones (be it the Internet in general, social networks, What Sapp, etc.). In addition, they may be psychologically more vulnerable due to their evolutionary immaturity, which makes it easier for them to develop a genuine addiction to mobile phones (or other technologies).
What to do if I am terrified of being without my mobile phone?
The first step, as usually happens in most disorders, will be to recognize that we have a problem; identify it, become aware of it and, above all, have motivation to change our situation.
You have several options if you suffer from nomophobia and want to treat your disorder. On the one hand, you can ask for professional help. On the other, we found some ideas that you can do for yourself : reduce the time you spend on your mobile (avoid consulting it all the time), turn it off from time to time, take a few moments to go out without it, look for alternative activities to your mobile (and incompatible), remove notifications, have it silent to reduce prominence…
These are all basically stimulus control strategies. Stimulus control in psychology encompasses a series of strategies by which the presence or absence of a particular stimulus (or a group of them) influences the occurrence or not of a certain response.
In short: by controlling your environment (the stimuli), you can control your responses (in this case, the use of your mobile), which can reduce your dependence on it and your fear of spending a few hours without it.
Final reflection on addiction and dependence on mobile phones
And you, do you suffer from nomophobia? Would you be able to go a whole day without your cell phone, without feeling anxious? How do you think you would feel?
All addiction carries with it a feeling of loss of control coupled with the feeling of being hooked on something that we “can’t live without” (although that’s a totally irrational idea; why shouldn’t we be able to live without our cell phone?).
Although in the case of mobile addiction, this in itself “hooks us”, in general, the causes of addictions tend to be deeper and sometimes through them we try to “cover” deep emotional aspects, complicated situations or deficiencies.
If you feel that you have symptoms of nomophobia and want to get rid of this mobile addiction, we recommend that you start applying some of the stimulus control strategies explained, or if you find yourself unable to do it on your own, that you ask for professional help. Remember that addictions chain us and take away our freedom… Allow yourself to let go and free yourself!
“Between the stimulus and the response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lie our growth and our freedom.