Nomophobia - What Is the Fear of Being Away from Your Mobile Phone?

Is checking your phone your first action on waking? Do notifications make you abandon everything and run to it? Does a low battery bring cold sweats? Beware: you may be struggling with nomophobia.

Nomo - What?

Nomophobia is a new concept brought by the technological age, abbreviated from “No-Mobile-Phobia”, the fear of being away from a mobile phone. In brief, it can also be called mobile phone addiction . Affecting every age from seven to seventy, nomophobia was first mentioned in 2008. In the first study in 2012, affected people accounted for %53 of the population; today this has reached %66. Thus, every 3 people include 2 with nomophobia!

The figures reveal a frightening reality. Nomophobia affects ages 18-24 at %77, ages 25-34 at %68, and also appears among those over 55. It is more common in women. We are increasingly dependent on mobile phones. How can we recognize it?

What Are Nomophobia's Symptoms?

• If you check your phone immediately on waking and just before bed,
• If checking email or the latest news during meals is routine,
• If you feel stressed or anxious when the battery dies or the phone switches off for any reason,
• Do you think being outside coverage means missing events you could access by phone,
• Do you get excited when posting on Instagram?,
• Does the notification sound wake you? , Yes, if any applies, I fear you are struggling with nomophobia.

1) We waste our time: Constantly immersed in our phones to avoid separation, we spend much of our time on them. One-way communication affects interaction with real-world objects and people. If you check email while someone speaks, which task are you actually doing? Although we think we can manage, we merely waste time and reduce productivity.

2) Anxiety increases: A study found that %51 of people separated from phones experience technology anxiety . Underlying this is fear of missing friends' plans or Facebook conversations when the phone is off.

Another study separated users from phones before a simple puzzle. Participants' heart rates and blood pressure increased, and they felt anxious.

3) We cannot sleep efficiently: Most sleep with phones beside us. Particularly among ages 25-29, %80 sleep with their phones. The danger extends further: smartphones emit blue light, suppressing melatonin, the brain hormone regulating sleep cycles, and signaling that it is time to wake. This reflects disturbed sleep patterns.

4) Our children copy our behavior: During development, children are greatly influenced by parents' behavior. If parents habitually watch television, children naturally do too. More extremely, a mother eating only fries may naturally have a daughter unfamiliar with vegetables. We do not sufficiently recognize that children, undergoing extensive learning, copy those around them, most often parents. Learning human relationships and the real world becomes harder. Ending phone addiction matters for healthy development not only for ourselves but our future.

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What Precautions Can We Take?

The first step toward solving a problem is accepting it exists. Without that recognition, we make no effort. Here are some suggestions for ending phone addiction:

• Turn off your phone hours before bedtime. Otherwise, notification sounds and lights will keep disturbing you. Give yourself and your brain the right to quiet. Missing a Facebook cat video or the latest Instagram posts costs you nothing (if an emergency or important message is expected, reduce phone contact in the least disruptive way). Sometimes this is impossible, for example, in the medical profession!
• If your phone serves as an alarm, we recommend buying a real alarm clock.
• Set specific times for checking your phone. We do not realize how often we check during the day, so this increases awareness. We should control the phone, rather than it controlling us.
• Choose a time and place where the phone is absent or cannot disturb you. You can then devote quality time to yourself and loved ones.

More communication with your children means not missing their growing up because of a phone. As social beings, we need communication above all, meaning face-to-face contact in the real world. Perhaps coffee with a friend or an amusement park with family: the choice is yours. Phones cannot replicate such time. A phone is useful for following events and communicating quickly, but when we lose control, it is no different from a weapon pointed at ourselves. Careful use and self-protection are in our hands.

I thank my wife Sibel Özdoğan, whose concern and warning about nomophobia prompted research and writing of this article.