Two Thirds Of Us Anxious Without Cell Phone Connection

A new study may indicate that  more and more people are afraid to be without their cell phone connection. The tongue-in-cheek term for the condition is ‘nomophobia,’ which is short for “no-mobile-phone phobia.”

The study, sponsored by SecurEnvoy, polled 1000 people in the UK. They found that 66% said they feared losing or being without their mobile/cell phone. Women were the most worried, with 70% saying they feared not having cell phone contact. 61% of men reported the same fear.

Not surprisingly, younger generations that grew up with regular cell phone use are the most concerned about their mobile connections. 77% of 18 to 24-year-olds feared losing contact. The 25 to 34 age group came in second at 68%. But the elderly have also become quite dependent on their phones. The ‘over 55’ age group came in third place, though the percentage of elderly was not provided in the report.

A study completed 4 years ago by the UK Post Office polled over 2000 people and found that 53%, at that time, experienced anxiety if they were out of network coverage, had no battery power, or lost their cell phone.

So it would appear, on the face of things, that ‘nomophobia’ is growing, though there’s too much about the two studies that we don’t know to actually compare them head-to-head.

The Post Office study also found that 9% of the respondents felt stressed when their phones were turned off. It would be interesting to have an update on that number as well, but none was provided.

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