How To Know If You’re Addicted To Your Phone

Are you addicted to your smartphone? This very modern question is emerging as a very modern problem, and a new questionnaire has been designed to help you self-diagnose.

The Science of Us reported on a paper from the journal Computers in Human Behaviour that researched this technological separation anxiety, nomophobia – that’s the new term for ?no mobile phone? phobia. Researchers at Iowa State University interviewed 301 undergraduate students about how they used their phones and how they react to not having their phones within reaching distance. Here are the questions they asked students to determine if they exhibited signs of nomophobia. Scarily, if you answer yes to any of the below you too may be afflicted.

1. I would feel uncomfortable without constant access to information through my smartphone.

2. I would be annoyed if I could not look information up on my smartphone when I wanted to do so.

3. Being unable to get the news (e.g., happenings, weather, etc.) on my smartphone would make me nervous.

4. I would be annoyed if I could not use my smartphone and/or its capabilities when I wanted to do so.

5. Running out of battery in my smartphone would scare me.

6. If I were to run out of credits or hit my monthly data limit, I would panic.

7. If I did not have a data signal or could not connect to Wi-Fi, then I would constantly check to see if I had a signal or could find a Wi-Fi network.

8. If I could not use my smartphone, I would be afraid of getting stranded somewhere.

9. If I could not check my smartphone for a while, I would feel a desire to check it.

If I did not have my smartphone with me …

10. I would feel anxious because I could not instantly communicate with my family and/or friends.

11. I would be worried because my family and/or friends could not reach me.

12. I would feel nervous because I would not be able to receive text messages and calls.

13. I would be anxious because I could not keep in touch with my family and/or friends.

14. I would be nervous because I could not know if someone had tried to get a hold of me.

15. I would feel anxious because my constant connection to my family and friends would be broken.

16. I would be nervous because I would be disconnected from my online identity.

17. I would be uncomfortable because I could not stay up-to-date with social media and online networks.

18. I would feel awkward because I could not check my notifications for updates from my connections and online networks.

19. I would feel anxious because I could not check my email messages.

20. I would feel weird because I would not know what to do.

What’s your tip for cutting the invisible cord on mobile phone dependence?

Science of Us

Follow Jeanne Sutton on Twitter @jeannedesutun

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