Nomophobia

Nomophobia describes a growing fear in today's world the fear of being without a mobile device or beyond mobile phone contact. Among high school and college students, it's on the rise. An increasing number of college students now shower with their cell phones. The average adolescent would rather lose a pinky finger than a cell phone, a growing percentage text or tweet instead of actually talking to others. 

 

Nomophobia is everywhere in industrialized nations. The term is an abbreviation for "no-mobile-phone phobia," which was coined during a 2010 study by the UK Post Office. The Post Office commissioned YouGov, a research organization, to look at anxieties suffered by mobile phone users. The study found that nearly 53 percent of mobile phone users in Britain tend to be anxious when they "lose their mobile phone, run out of battery or credit, or have no network coverage."

 

The study found that about 58 percent of men and 47 percent of women have a phobia, and an additional 9 percent feel stressed when their mobile phones are off. The study sampled 2,163 people. Fifty-five percent of those surveyed cited keeping in touch with friends or family as the main reason they got anxious when they could not use their mobile phones. The study compared stress levels induced by the average case of nomophobia to be on par with those of "wedding day jitters" and trips to the dentist.