When being away from your smartphone makes you nervous, maybe you have nomophobia

In today's era, smartphones, aka smart phones, may be difficult to separate from your daily life. Everything from work to entertainment often requires a smartphone. When you have time to go through its contents or even accidentally leave it at home, you may feel incredibly restless.

So, is your anxiety still considered normal? Or is the anxiety you feel is too much? Could it be that you actually have a new type of smartphone-related phobia, called nomophobia?

Smartphones bring a lot of convenience. Getting used to using it makes us unconsciously experience dependence

Smartphone or smart phone is a technology that makes it easy for humans. From gadgets that are as big as the grip of a hand, they can fulfill our various needs. Apart from being a means of communication, of course, paying bills and even entertainment can be easy because of it.

This is what ultimately causes us to become "addicted" even though we don't realize it. When the smartphone is not in hand, communication will stop. In addition, many things that were previously easy become more difficult and impractical. What do you think, what if you need the contact or phone number of the closest people? What about when you need to check a client's email or pay this bill? What happens if you can't update on social media for some time?

Feeling too nervous is not normal. Maybe you have nomophobia

Nomophobia itself is an abbreviation of no mobile phobia, aka fear or anxiety from not holding a cellphone, putting it wrong, or even because the cellphone battery runs out. The case of nomophobia is said to be a trend lately, and is generally found in high school students and college students.

Anxiety about not checking your smartphone every few minutes is a sign of nomophobia. This is one of the 20 questionnaire items used to identify whether a person belongs to the nomophobia syndrome or not. Apart from itching to check their smartphone every few minutes, nomophobia sufferers are also afraid if their phone runs out of battery.

In the UK, nomophobia affects at least 53 per cent of smartphone users who are still of school and college age

In the UK, research on nomophobia was actually carried out in 2010 by a government agency. The study showed that 53% of correspondents felt anxious if their cell phone was lost, ran out of battery, or didn't get a signal.

Research in America shows even more surprising results, namely about 66 percent of respondents who show nomophobia. Exactly 13% higher than in the UK. Noted, 2/3 of Americans sleep with their cellphones next to them, and even 50% of them never turn off their cellphones. Worse still, 34% of their correspondents answered that they answered the phone in the midst of personal time with their partner.

Why are many people afraid of losing access with a familiar smartphone in their hands?

Research from the Iowa Institute also shows the results obtained from a survey of 300 people, that there are 4 reasons why someone can get nomophobia. Namely, the fear of losing the ability to communicate, the fear of losing information, the fear of being disconnected from other people, and the fear that life will be more complicated without a cell phone.

As discussed in the first point, many people have entered the level of being very dependent on cellphones. Again, this can happen even though we are not aware of it and feel what we are doing is natural. However, excessive fear or anxiety when the smartphone is not in hand is a type of disorder in itself.

Technology comes in a package with positive and negative effects behind it. Make sure you use your smartphone wisely

Dependence on smartphones can be dangerous. Feeling panicked or excessively anxious will certainly not make us feel comfortable. Especially when we start to depend on life on an inanimate object as big as the palm of our hand. Not infrequently because of that we actually ignore friends and family around us.

This is what should make us aware. That life should not depend on one thing alone. After all, the need to get information or communicate with loved ones cannot only be done via cell phones. There are many other ways even though you could say using a smartphone is still the most practical way.

To be sure, technology was created to facilitate human life. However, excessive fear and anxiety will make your life miserable.