February 27, 2023, 11:05 am | Read time: 5 minutes

The term nomophobia (composed of “no mobile phobia“) refers to the fear of not having a smartphone or being unreachable. This is not just a simple discomfort that anyone might feel when they forget their phone at home or have it stolen. It refers to traits of an anxiety disorder. As a result, the phenomenon is increasingly becoming a focus of scientific research. Read here what is already known about nomophobia.

Constant smartphone use can have pathological consequences

The use of communication devices, especially smartphones, has steadily increased in recent years. According to the statistics portal Statista, 16- to 29-year-olds use their devices for an average of two hours and 47 minutes a day. Being unreachable or unable to contact others is almost unthinkable. No wonder it can feel uncomfortable when the battery dies or there’s no reception for a while. And, of course, there are (emergency) situations where the fear of not being able to contact anyone would be understandable. But nomophobia does not describe rational fears. It involves massively exaggerated feelings, which are especially familiar to young people.

Just a few minutes without a phone increase heart rate

Researchers from Hungary found in a 2017 study with 18- to 26-year-olds using heart rate monitors that just a few minutes without a phone led to increased heart rates¹. They also observed a tendency for displacement activities among the students (such as sudden face scratching, fidgeting, nervous eye twitching). For context: The participants were asked to leave their phones for just a few minutes while they solved various brain teasers on a computer in another room.

Also interesting: Why are more people afraid of making phone calls? 

Study from Germany on nomophobia

Researchers at PFH Private University of Göttingen have further explored the topic in a recent study². The main goal was to identify symptoms indicative of nomophobia and to create a “validated diagnostic tool” for it. Additionally, the study aimed to determine the proportion of affected individuals in Germany. All details of the study can be found in the online journal Public Library of Science (PLOS ONE), summarized by TECHBOOK.

Procedure of the study

807 women and men with an average age of 25–”digital natives” who grew up in the digital world (with smartphones and social networks)–participated in the study. They were given an adaptation of the “Nomophobia Questionnaire NMP-Q.” This is an internationally frequently used questionnaire, according to Prof. Dr. Yvonne Görlich from the University of Göttingen in a press release. The questionnaire captures four dimensions of smartphone withdrawal symptoms and their intensity. These dimensions were translated as “inability to communicate,” “loss of connection,” “inability to access information,” and “comfort sacrifice.”

Result: Every second person affected–women more so

Based on the completed questionnaires, about half of the participants showed a “moderate level of nomophobia,” and a severe form of the disorder was found in 4.1 percent of participants. Women reportedly achieved overall “higher nomophobia scores,” according to Prof. Görlich, particularly in the factors “inability to communicate” and “comfort sacrifice.” She explained this by suggesting that women generally have a stronger need for social relationships and use communication more than men.

Typical symptoms of nomophobia

Smartphone addiction and nomophobia are certainly related. However, one describes an addiction disorder and the other an anxiety disorder, explains study leader Görlich. Accordingly, the symptoms are also different. In nomophobia, there is a “subjectively distorted, excessive sense of fear.” Affected individuals are nervous, sometimes panicky, and exhibit noticeable irritability. Depending on the severity of the “condition” (in quotes, as nomophobia is not yet officially recognized as a disease), the symptoms can be those of a classic anxiety disorder. These include, for example, trembling, sweating, tension, shortness of breath, and gastrointestinal complaints.

More on the topic

Phenomenon Explained What Is Cyberchondria?

Development How Harmful Are Media for Children Really?

Who is considered particularly at risk

It is already known from previous studies that nomophobes often suffer from other issues. Many describe themselves as lonely, suffer from depression and/or reduced impulse control. It is also known that nomophobia is “significantly positively correlated” with the widespread FOMO (“Fear of Missing Out”). This reciprocal relationship makes sense, as the constant use of smartphones and social media keeps those affected informed about what is happening. Being cut off from the phone means “not knowing what’s going on and therefore not being able to participate, no longer belonging.” This is how Florian Beutenmüller from the youth media portal “handysektor.de” explains it.

Further studies are now planned to determine whether controlled smartphone use can alleviate existing nomophobia.

Sources

• 1. V. Konok, Á. Pogány, Á. Miklósi, 2017, Mobile attachment: Separation from the mobile phone induces physiological and behavioural stress and attentional bias to separation-related stimuli, Computers in Human Behavior
• 2. M. Coenen, Y. Görlich, (2022), Exploring nomophobia with a German adaption of the nomophobia questionnaire (NMP-Q-D), Plos One