A recent study on the “Impact of Mobile Phone addiction amongst the Youth in Chandigarh” has found that many youngsters check their phones out of habit or compulsion to avoid interacting with individuals. Some youngsters experience withdrawal symptoms usually associated with misuse, like depression, restlessness, insomnia, and anxiety, when they are not with their mobile phones.
The study published in the International Journal of Science, Engineering and Management has been conducted by Dr. Anubhuti Sharma of Post Graduate Government College for Girls and Agreema Sharma Counsellor, St. John’s High School, Chandigarh. The study found that mobile users had symptoms such as restlessness, anxiety and depression.
In fact the Nomophobia affects box sexes and teenagers and adults alike. You feel anxious when you leave your phone at home or workplace as if you have lost connection with outside world. In particular people who share personal details, contacts, pictures and videos in their smartphones suffer the pangs more. Various studies suggest that youngsters start believing mobile phones as their extended selves. Naturally when you lose your smartphone you may have high blood pressure and your pulse rate may shoot up. Psychologists say that another system could be FOMO (fear of missing out). Emotional attachment to our phones aggravates the symptoms of nomophobia.
Indeed nomophobia is a name given to no mobile phobia, which is when someone is afraid to lose his or her cell phone. Do you easily get irritated or worried when there is no message, no call or your mobile does not ring for long. Mind it you are victim of nomophobia. This is modern concept or we can say latest phobia, which came into existence with mobile or smartphones.
Few years back there were no mobile phones or smartphones. Few privileged had landlines at their homes and we were quite comfortable talking to our friends and relatives through landlines. And then STD booths here and there in the markets were enough to communicate.
Then came the revolutionary cell phones and then smartphones which changed our lifestyles. In the beginning smartphones were matter of show off for elite class. People who had smartphones would carry those in their hands to show their class. As these were very costly in the beginning, very few could afford it. Gradually it came into reach of everyone. From rich elite to daily workers, all are carrying smartphones. And not only this, every member of a family has his or her mobile. Mobile has become so personalised that even in a family nobody is ready to share phone with other member of family.
No doubt, we cannot underestimate the value of smartphones in our lives nowadays as from entertainment to important assignments, banking and so much unlimited information we get from Google, all we can get from smartphone. In other words, we have become over dependent upon mobile phones these days. And this dependency is up to which extend? From morning till night we all have our cells with us and we all keep our mobiles with us while sleeping also.
Some people are so obsessed with cell phones that they become nervous or pathetic without mobiles. Even in the comfort of their homes they rarely leave mobiles while having food or sitting around with family. Accidents while driving are very common these days because of cell phones.
Now as we all know very well about this phobia, we have to take out the solution and the first solution is to limit the use of mobiles. Though it is not so easy but at least we can try by staying away from our mobiles while sleeping, eating, driving and important of all while spending time with our family and friends. This can give us some precious moments to enjoy with family and friends and improve relations. This way, we may escape bad effects of too much addiction of mobiles. Let’s fight Nomophobia.
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