In the year 2019, you will be hard pressed to find a person who does not own a smartphone. Smart devices make our lives so much easier and communication instantaneous. But our attitudes towards hand-held technology have gone from convenience to compulsion. Smartphone addiction isn’t just another media buzzword; millions of are obsessed with their devices. Recent studies have discovered that almost one in every eight people are addicted to their phones. And nomophobia – short for “no mobile phone phobia” – is seriously dangerous to the human body, from mental and physical, to psychological and economical. If you think you might be suffering from your own case of nomophobia, read these clear 8 signs that you are addicted to your mobile phone.
You have frequent cases of insomnia.
Several researchers attest that smartphones ruin your sleep cycle, even causing users to fight their sleep despite tired eyes and weary minds. This is said in part to be caused by the blue lit-screen.
You can’t hold a full conversation without checking your phone.
If a 2-minute conversation is enough to make you start wondering if someone has texted you or liked your latest Instagram picture, that’s cause for consideration.
You lose whole chunks of time you can’t account for.
We may all spend a few minutes here and there throughout the day on our phones. But if you get into your car to leave and an hour later you’re still sitting in your driveway staring at your phone, you may have a problem.
You actively scroll social media while someone’s talking to you.
Although this has become acceptable in many situations, it is not normal behavior to scroll social media while having an in-person conversation, and can show serious signs of addiction.
You cannot focus on anything for an extended period of time, except your phone.
If you’re addicted to your phone, you may find it hard to concentrate on anything else for longer than a few minutes.
Your phone never leaves your hand.
Never being able to let your phone leave your hand, or your sight, for a few seconds is a sure sign of phone addiction. This is typical to a lot of people obsessed with their phones, and can be one of the most obvious signs of mobile phone addiction.
The thought of not having your phone gives you anxiety.
Have you ever dropped your phone and shattered it or, even worse, lost it? If this sent you into full-on rage and/or hysterics (which is not uncommon), this is an indication of addiction as well.
You can’t resist checking your phone or responding to messages.
If you are truly addicted to your smart device, you may even have trouble resisting your phone at quite inopportune times. Not being able to let a text message go unchecked can totally take your attention off of an otherwise intimate, romantic, or generally unplugged moment. Checking your phone while on a romantic date with your partner, getting a massage, while at the movies, are just a few instances of behavior mirroring mobile phone addiction.
