Cell phone addiction: causes and remedies of nomophobia
Today the mobile phone is a tool in everyone's hands and is certainly one of the most productive and useful tools. Often, however, its extraordinary potential can be used in an excessive and misleading way, thus leading to the wrong use of the smartphone, which degenerates into pathological addiction. It takes the name of nomophobia and consists of mobile phone addiction. Below you will find the symptoms to be alarmed about and the treatments to get out of them. The rule is balance: if used correctly, the mobile phone can be a great ally!
Cell phone addiction: nomophobia
Smartphones, computers, tablets and technological devices of all kinds: the digital world is witnessing significant changes. Always struggling to have the latest new creation in mind, the mobile phone market, we can say, is full and saturated. Society and the world we live in has made them necessary devices for survival, from the fundamental WhatsApp groups exchange of information not only personal and of a playful nature, but also work and student, to the dissemination of news of the last hour on social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, up to the latest trends of the moment, with the famous videos of TikTok and YouTube.
The discussion around this issue is very broad: from the exploitation of underpaid labor in developing countries to consumerism that is now typical of all Western countries. Obviously, the prejudice to cell phones and the excessive use that can be made of them, especially among young people. Sometimes it becomes commonplace, but often it is a real pathology, which takes the name of nomophobia.
The term nomophobia comes from English no-mo (bile), "without mobile phone" e -phobia, fear, on the model of the noun nomophobia. It is a recently coined term and indicates addiction to smartphones or mobile phones, a fairly frequent and risky situation in the world population. Nomophobia consists in the situation of being temporarily without a telephone, no-mobile in fact, flanked by phobia, a strong uncontrollable fear. It is therefore the terror, the panic of those who are addicted and find themselves unable to use the mobile phone: both because the battery is on the ground, and because the credit has run out, and for reasons such as theft or breakage.
The definition of the term derives from a study carried out in Great Britain by the Yougov research body for which half of the users who use the smartphone show a state of anxiety when they lose it or are deprived of it because it is out of use, with a percentage of 58% in men and 48% in women. Experts consider this addiction to be a disease in all respects: it affects more young people between 18 and 25 years old, especially in subjects with low self-esteem and relationship problems. Nomophobia is often connected to the overall use of social networks, which can lead not only to gaps between people but also the isolation that makes individuals more closed in on themselves and insecure.
Mobile phone addiction: when to be alarmed
Using your smartphone or checking messages and emails certainly doesn't make you dependent on your cell phone. Research has highlighted some behaviors with respect to the use of the telephone, from the usual ones, with little mental awareness, to the mandatory ones that must instead be respected because they are required or necessary. real addiction as they are motivated by the importance of social norms, such as repetitive ones. The actions that create real addiction are the so-called "engaging" behaviors, from the English addictive precisely, for which those attitudes become the fulcrum of a person's life, thus excluding all other activities to the point of creating physical and mental discomfort. Dependence on mobile phones consists in coordinating one's life according to the mobile phone, without which every action loses its meaning and relevance.
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Cell phone addiction: who are the most at risk?
As already announced, according to many researches, the individuals most at risk of contracting mobile phone addiction are children and young adults whose behavior is characterized by low self-esteem and problems relating to society, which is why they feel the need to feel constantly connected. and in contact with the world, even if it is virtual. Cell phone addiction leads to the fear of exclusion and above all boredom when one finds oneself involved in other activities that do not concern the pathological use of cell phones.Smartphones, in fact, are a paradoxical tool because on the one hand the internet allows you to stay connected with the whole world, despite the time zone and the distances, on the other hand it causes a great sense of loneliness that comes from isolation through these tools.
It is certainly not only children who are victims of nomophobia, adults can also be trapped in it. Despite the great warnings of addictive behavior of young people, the parents of these children are also at risk, as are any other individual who owns a cell phone. The mobile phone, in fact, is no longer an indispensable tool among young people, but in general in society, at all age levels, up to the highest groups who, at times, have abused it. From the news on social media that seem unable to wait, to the eyes glued to the screen even while crossing the street, to the compulsive use of the phone while driving: these are all signs of cell phone addiction.
Cell phone addiction: possible remedies
The first piece of advice to give to those who have realized that they are addicted to the mobile phone is certainly to use the smartphone in an intelligent way. The secret is in fact to think of the mobile phone as a certainly very useful tool nowadays, necessary to maintain relationships with distant people rather than to find old friends or acquaintances lost sight over time. Therefore, the mobile phone seen as a tool that enriches social life is a point of view, since it avoids isolation, but on the other side we must keep in mind the other side of the coin. available means avoiding them becoming the center of our days, trying not to abuse them especially in moments of strong discomfort, in which we feel vulnerable and want to escape from the situation we are in. In fact, this would lead to the opposite condition, that is that of isolating the subject from the real world and from social relationships, which will make him even more insecure. To avoid this, it is good to put the phone back in its place, using it wisely and efficiently when useful, without virtual life taking over and replace the real one.
Mobile phone addiction: 4 small solutions to get you started
1. Don't use your smartphone in the morning. There are not a few studies that explain how important the first actions of a day are, which affect our mood. It may seem like a small gesture, but avoiding looking at your smartphone before breakfast is a good place to start.
2. Set obstacles. Having free access to the phone has the direct consequence of using it more often. Set a long security code every time you need to unlock it, delete the applications you use most often and use them only through the browser - this will slow down your movements and laziness could get the better of your addiction.
3. Limit your time. The English term is batch processing and consists in concentrating more activities in a certain amount of time. If you know you have your cell phone available for a defined amount of time, make sure you do everything you need to do on the device so that you don't use it afterwards.
4. Practice the "here and now". It might sound like a yoga practice, but it's all about learning to be present, not being excluded from the group on social occasions, and not being rude.
