Last Updated on December 7, 2022 by Mike Robinson

A phobia is a persistent worry or anxiety associated with the fear of an item or particular circumstance. For example, some people fear water, heights, or small places. Others worry about embarrassing themselves in front of others or being in a crowded or gloomy environment. People will make a considerable effort to avoid the thing or circumstance that gives them phobias. Nomophobia is one of the phobias of the technology era.

A study based in the UK is responsible for coining the term nomophobia. No-Mobile-Phone-Phobia is where the name nomophobia comes from. The majority of those impacted by this relatively new phrase are smartphone users. There are several myths around this new phrase, though. Therefore, let’s first clarify what nomophobia isn’t before discussing what it is.

What is nomophobia?

The most prevalent misconception about nomophobia is that it is a dread of being cut off from cellular communication. It is not regarded as nomophobia when we cannot use our cell phones because of poor or nonexistent connectivity. It also doesn’t fall under the broad definition of nomophobia when we cannot use our cell phone because the battery is low or the phone’s peak time balance is exhausted. Additionally, certain venues, such as hospitals or operas, forbid mobile phone use outright.

Nomophobia, then, is the dread of losing the phone rather than just the inability to use the phone. It’s the instant panic episode we have when we cannot find our phones. The phone can be in the pocket next to you or across the room. However, nomophobia is the term used to describe our fear of losing our cell phones. Consequently, nomophobia refers to the fear or anxiety of losing a cell phone.

Technology: The good, the bad, and the phobia

There are several advantages and disadvantages in the current era of technology. Technology permeates everything we do or even consider doing. Additionally, we always look for ways to improve the technology we already have or discover ways to replace it with newer technology.

We utilize technology for everyday tasks like selecting what to eat, what to buy, and even expressing our ideas. There is no denying that technology has significantly enhanced our lives. Our reliance on technology does have certain drawbacks, though. We worry about what would happen if technology suddenly disappeared since we have grown so reliant on it.

Our lives now revolve around mobile phones, or more specifically, smartphones. In addition to talking on the phone and sending texts, we can also utilize social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to upload photos, edit documents, play games, and much more. This makes people worried about what may occur if we lose our only source of communication. 

Nomophobia, or the dread of losing your cell phone, is a phobia that originates from that very anxiety. It has been discovered that the majority of mobile phone users nowadays experience some degree of this phobia, mainly when the device is too expensive or when the data it holds is too precious, especially when there is no primary backup.

Recent research on nomophobia

Numerous nations have performed studies, and the results have been astounding. Nearly 66% of the 1,000 people who participated in the British study reported having nomophobia. The results are strikingly comparable for a large number of other nations, including America, Canada, India, Australia, and even China. There have been reports of military-style training sessions in China aimed at helping young people overcome their addictions. Although other nations have not taken such harsh steps, people nowadays are growing increasingly afraid of how much time they spend on their cell phones. With the aid of mobile apps, consumers can track how much time they spend using their mobile devices.

The majority of cell phone users check their devices often. According to research, our bodies produce more dopamine when we receive any form of notification on our phones. Here is a basic explanation of dopamine for those who are unfamiliar. Dopamine is a kind of neurotransmitter. It regulates the part of the brain that produces rewards. Dopamine, in other words, is what drives people to take actions for which they believe there will be a reward. The effects of dopamine in our brains mainly bring on any addiction that develops.

The psychology of phobia of nomophobia

Sometimes, when we anticipate receiving an important call or contact from someone, we tend to become apprehensive and check our phones frequently. It’s just like playing slots at a casino. Even if we are occasionally rewarded and occasionally not, we nevertheless keep trying. Any addiction has at least one of its main characteristics that its sufferers cannot acknowledge that they have a problem. Like the majority of addictions, the majority of people only have mild symptoms. A relatively small fraction of people have severe symptoms. That in no way lessens the significance or threat of the issue.

 Who is affected most?

The demographic age range of 18 to 34 is where most nomophobes reside. These people include young professionals and students. This is because people in this age range have the most propensity to feel the need to be constantly connected. This age group was also the first to see the rise of social networking. It’s hip to be an introvert these days. The new means of connecting include the internet and mobile devices. Studies show that many people with introverted personalities find it quite simple to make friends online. Social interactions include online multiplayer games or social networking. People find living in the virtual world to be far more appealing. Many people have two completely separate personalities—one in the real world and another in the virtual one. The dread of losing the virtual world results from our dependency on it.

In fact, the virtual world serves as a portal to personal independence and a method of communication. The dread of losing it has given rise to the phobia known as nomophobia. Because a mobile phone is a key to the virtual world, its absence has led to fear. Nomophobia has grown from 50% to 66% over the past decade. Seven out of every ten people in Britain and the US are nomophobic.

Nomophobia and social media

Social media’s ability to instill a false sense of self-importance is another significant factor in addiction. We are constantly bombarded with tweets, comments, status updates, and Instagram photographs. The feeling that we are missing something if we don’t regularly check our phones every few minutes is the root cause of this. If we are unaware of the most recent internet trend, we fear our coolness quotient will decrease. As a result, there is a drive to practically be online at all times. We receive our intellectual and psychological nourishment from the internet as if we were connected to it by an umbilical cord. Experts believe nomophobia is just the beginning of a much larger issue. Addiction to the internet is the more significant problem. In other words, a smartphone is the easiest-to-use and most portable key to the internet. The level of addiction increases with the device’s convenience level. Several locations are creating unique detox programs for those afflicted by this addiction. Making clear guidelines for yourself is the easiest method to deal with an addiction.

 Common symptoms of nomophobia

Let’s now take a closer look at certain nomophobia signs that should alarm us. The emotion that nomophobia produces is most accurately compared to the anticipation of something significant or terrifying. One of the best illustrations of a similar feeling is the worry someone has the day before their wedding or meeting with their boss when they think he has terrible news.

There is a constant worry about what may happen if you do not immediately possess your phone. 

Some warning indicators of nomophobia:

• Checking the phone constantly for calls and texts
•  Many individuals take chargers with them, so their mobile phones’ batteries never run out of juice. Some people enter any location hunting for a port to charge them. 
• Some of them are so dependent on their phones that they even take them with them when they go to the bathroom. Most people who use smartphones seldom switch off their devices, which is true of many. 
• Some people with more severe addictions never even switch their phones to quiet mode.

Some of the statistics from the research done on this phobia are astounding. Additionally, research shows that the likelihood that you are nomophobic increases with age. The most vulnerable group is young adults, who young professionals and finally others subsequently follow. When the study first started, men tended to be more nomophobic than women. Recent surveys, however, indicate that the situation has changed. Women today worry more about losing their phones than men do. This may be because males are more likely to possess two phones and are less likely to lose both at once than women. As a result, they are less concerned about losing their communication tools.

According to studies, those using cell phones check them 34 times on average daily, with others checking them even more frequently. As a result, we quickly learn about the loss of our phones. Additionally, there is a growing trend among users to utilize their phones for professional reasons increasingly frequently. Due to the alarmingly low-security procedures used to protect sensitive information on the phone, some people may lose their employment due to a phone loss. This also makes people afraid of losing their phones. 

Nomophobia and the DSM manual

Nomophobia is being considered for inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-5-TR. 

The book lists the many types of mental illnesses. This particular publication was the first to label homosexuality as an illness. The is currently a push to add nomophobia to the list of phobias in the DSM manual, elevating it to a medically recognized phobia. However, the concept is still in its infancy, and more research is needed.

How to prevent nomophobia attacks.

1. Store a weekly backup of all the data on your phone online.
2. Always establish a permanent location in your house where you should always store your phone.
3. Properly tuck your phone into your pocket as you leave. (Ideally, inside your pocket)
4. You should copy the data from your phone’s memory card to another, more secure location, such as the hard disk of your laptop, etc.
5. Don’t save private data on your phone’s memory, such as your family tree or bank account information.
6. It is not safe to leave your passwords in plain sight on your phone. There are several ways to protect your passwords, like using a secure app.
7. Securely enter the main screen and screen lock passwords. Use a strong password.

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