In the last ten years the use of Mobile phones have grown exponentiallyespecially since the arrival of smart phone. These have also become essential items in our daily lives All areas: work, leisure, social, etc. This has pushed many people to develop dependency and addiction problems. It’s called nomophobia.
The term nomophobia comes from English “No cell phone phobia” and implies this irrational fear of being without our mobile phones. It might seem like a rare disorder, but a 2019 YouGov real-time study found it 44% of respondents – all from the UK – suffered Fear if you didn’t have your cell phone with you.
What are the symptoms of nomophobia?
Some of the symptoms According to the European Institute, the indicators that indicate whether a person is addicted to their mobile phone are as follows:
- Someone who uses the phone when alone
- Feels anxious or uncomfortable when you don’t have access to your mobile device
- Phone use affects work performance
- Attempts to limit hours spent on mobile, but quickly fails
- Wakes up at night to check the phone
What are the causes behind this addiction?
Behind every addiction are a number of causes. With nomophobia, they go out low self-esteem due to difficulty building social relationships. These are key factors as they lead to seeking absolute approval from others on what many people find it through social networks.
The role of dopamine is also very important in this context. It’s a chemical that the brain secretes when exposed to it situations that are worthwhile. And one of the problems of addiction lies in that process: in the habit get that “dose” of dopamine every time you check the phone in case of nomophobia.
And while it’s true that anyone can suffer from nomophobia, it’s more common among teenagers between 14 and 16 years.
How can it be treated?
There is already treatment centers that offer digital detox programs and forms of therapy to eliminate this addiction, which can lead to diseases such as stress or depression.
One of the most famous inventions in this field is the light phonebut that his own company has described as “pretty smart ‘dumb’ phone”. It’s a device designed like a smartphone, but it only allows you to do that Make calls and tell the time.
