Brain & Nomophobia

Nomophobia (no mobile phone phobia) involves a fear of being out of cell-phone contact. The term came from a study by the United Kingdom Post Office in 2008. The objective was to evaluate the possibility of anxiety disorders occurring because of the overuse of mobile phones. The study reported that approximately 58% of males and 47% of females suffered from mobile phone anxiety when their mobile phones were switched off. A comparison of stress levels reported that the anxiety level was equal to “wedding day jitters.” Some believe that the term “phobia” may be misleading. In actuality, nomophobia appears to be an anxiety disorder, anxiety being a type of fear. It has been called an “over-connection syndrome,” perhaps due to the fact that an excessive use of mobile phones itself reduces the percentage of actual face-to-face interactions. For some, nomophobia may escalate into an obsession.  Reportedly, differentiating between nomophobia and OCD can be difficult. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD is believed to involve a dysregulation of the neurotransmitter serotonin, different from an anxiety disorder related to overuse of mobile phones.