Have you ever forgot your phone at home and had an anxiety attack? You might be suffering from Nomophobia.

Nomophobia (short for no-mobile phobia) is a the name for the phobia of being without contact of a cellular phone.

Researchers out of the City University in Hong Kong found that our phones store so many memories that people have grown so attached to them

While previous studies showed that Nomophobia was related to anxiety around an inability to communicate and a fear of missing out, the new research suggests that the anxiety is attributed to being without your personal devices because it stores your photos, messages and other data.

“The findings of our study suggest that users perceive smartphones as their extended selves and get attached to the devices,” said Dr Kim Ki Joon. “People experience feelings of anxiety and unpleasantness when separated from their phones.”

Because of this dependency, the students researched leaned towards “phone proximity-seeking” tendencies; They wanted their devices nearby to them at all times.

Related Story: How Yoga Is Helping Girls Heal From Trauma

So what is the solution?

Brenda K Wiederhold, Editor and Chief at Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, suggests exposure therapy, which is basically digital detox.

Intentionally separating yourself from your phone by turning it off or leaving it at home can reduce dependency and anxiety.

Comments

comments