Member-only story
Nomophobia: The Fear of Being Without Your Phone
Smartphones are an amazing technological innovation. We can use them to reach people anywhere across the world. We have the totality of recorded human knowledge in a device that fits in our pockets. Incredible.
We use smartphones for an ever-increasing range of daily tasks. As a result, they have become an integral part of our lives.
We use them to call, text, and message family and friends. We use them to play video games. We use them to surf the Web. We use them for work. We use them to snap pictures and take videos. The list goes on and on.
What is smartphone addiction?
Smartphone addiction is commonly referred to as “nomophobia,” which is the fear of being without a mobile phone (no-mobile phobia). Smartphone addiction includes the fear of losing, forgetting, and breaking your phone. It also includes the fear of not getting cell service, having your phone battery die, etc.
This fear causes stress, anxiety, and panic for the afflicted person. This harms their well-being and mental health.
Symptoms
There are many symptoms of nomophobia to be on the lookout for. According to VeryWellMind, these include emotional and mental symptoms such as:
