Do you suffer from nomophobia—that is, ‘no mobile phobia’?
If you feel anxious when your cell phone isn’t nearby, you might be suffering from this new malady.
Now that I have an iPhone, it’s worse. I am always clutching and checking it—texting, emailing, posting to Facebook or Twitter, or checking the New York Post app.
So the fact that nomophobia (no mobile phobia) is now a recognized condition is of interest to me.
Here are the signs of the phobia at its worst:
• Feeling anxious if your cell phone isn’t nearby.
• Just the thought of losing your phone makes your heart pound.
• Taking your phone to bed with you.
And if you think you suffer from the affliction, you are not alone. A recent poll found that:
• 66 percent of the 1,000 people surveyed say they fear losing or being without their phone.
• 70 percent of female respondents fear losing their phones, compared with 61 percent of males.
• People 18 to 24 tend to be the most nomophobic (77 percent), followed by those aged 25 to 34 (68 percent). The third most nomophobic group is 55 and older.
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