Afraid of Losing Your Phone? You May Have Nomophobia Like Half the Population (RePost From Mashable - Written By Samantha Murphy)
If you know the panicked and disconnected feeling of leaving your mobile phone at home, you might be one of the many suffering from nomophobia.
A recent survey by U.K.-based mobile security service provider SecurEnvoy conducted among 1,000 people found that two thirds (66%) of respondents fear losing or being without their mobile phone — a fear called nomophobia. The phobia also includes the anxiety someone feels when not in the range of a cell tower to receive optimal reception.
Not surprisingly, nomophonia is on the rise — up 13% from just four years ago — as more consumers become strapped to their smartphones.
However, women (70%) worry more about losing their phones than men (61%). According to Andy Kemshall, chief technology officer and co-founder of SecurEnvoy, men were more likely to have nomophobia in 2008 but feel less overwhelmed now. Why the change of heart? Men are 11% more likely than women to carry around two mobile devices.
Younger demographics are also more likely to be nomophobic, as 77% said they fear being without their phone. Meanwhile, those ages 25 to 34 are the second most nomophobic group, followed by mobile users over 55.
SecurEnvoy also cited a recent study published by the Helsinki Institute for Information Technology found that people check their phones about 34 times a day on average. If you do misplace your phone, it won’t take very long to realize it.
Do you have nomophobia? What tech item can’t you live without? Let us know in the comments.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, mbbirdy
