One of our greatest strengths as a species is that of adaptability. No matter the situation or circumstances, humans find a way to not only survive but to thrive. Part of that adapting has to do with our use of tools. Give us flint and we’re chipping in into a knife
, give us a wheel and a few years later we’re in a YouTube video riding a shopping cart down a flight of steps. But with adaptability comes dependance — take away that knife or wheel or, say, fire and we’re scared, immobile (or at least bored), and cold. What about when our mobile phones are taken away, and we are without the tool we use to store data, extend our knowledge, and, most of all, maintain connectivity? Then we are stricken with nomophobia.
Nomophobia is the fear of having no-mobile phone handy. It happens when our device runs out of juice or we forget it on the counter next to the fruit bowl. This neologism was coined by the UK firm YouGov, who was studying the mobile phone-based stress that happens when our we are without our phones or even without service. That last bit is extremely telling as it explains that it’s not just our tool we miss, nomophobia is also a fear based on a lack of connectivity and the chance of missing out on news and other communications.
A recent study by security software firm SecurEnvoy found out that 66% of the population suffers from nomophobia. The survey, based on 1,000 people in the United Kingdom, also found that an incredible 41% of the people surveyed have two or more phones, ostensibly in an effort to stay connected. (It’s not clear if the study was restricted to mobile phones, but it was about nomophobia and done by a company that focused on security, largely for mobile devices, so it very well could have.) Digging into the numbers further, the study found that women are slightly more likely to be afflicted and younger people have higher propensity towards nomophobia.
So, regardless of how questionable studies like this are, next time you leave the house without your mobile or go on an exotic, radio-signal-free vacation, make a note of how you feel. Are you more anxious than normal? Skipping meals? Sweaty palms? Checking your pockets for phantom buzzing?
Source: www.geek.com
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