Mobile Addiction: 3 symptoms of being hooked
In the age of technology and communications, there is a phenomenon that is worrying mental health professionals: every time there are more people with addiction to the mobile , completely "hooked" to your smartphone.
We can see them absorbed in their day to day, texting on WhatsApp, without being able to take their eyes off the screen. This leads them to be constantly checking if they have any new notification, preventing them from enjoying the activities of the day to day, since they always have a part of their mind pending the positive reinforcement provided by social networks or instant messaging apps. It is what is known as FOMO syndrome, as described by the psychologist Jonathan García-Allen.
What is mobile (cell) addiction?
Addiction to mobile is increasingly common and is a sign that we are increasingly dependent on technologies. Some people do not make a rational and positive use of them, but end up maintaining a dependency relationship with gadgets. Sometimes, this addiction is known with the nomophobia neologism.
This addiction can lead to serious problems and discomfort.
symptom
Some of the symptoms and signs that can tell you that you have addiction to your mobile phone (or mobile, as it is known in Latin America), are the following:
- The affected person is not able to eat, have a conversation, work or perform pleasurable activities without frequently checking if they have sent a message or called them by mobile phone.
- They are not able to sleep if they do not have the smartphone on.
- They wake up frequently to check the phone for new messages or calls.
- They regularly review the WhatsApp status of their friends and family.
- They get anxious or sad if they lose or forget the phone.
- They feel uneasy, anxious or upset if they run out of battery.
- They check too often if someone has texted or called them. They are also aware of any notification on their social networks.
Consequences and effects
There are a series of negative consequences derived from the addiction to the mobile phone. These negative effects can be classified according to several characteristics.
1. Anxiety
Being a dependency, it can be linked to states of anxiety and compulsion. When the person forgets the mobile phone at home, for example, feels that something is missing, feels incommunicado and this can generate anxiety and discomfort. In particular, this malaise has been conceptualized recently as technostrees.
2. Compulsion
The tendency to check the mobile every few minutes can be considered a compulsion. It is a behavior, an acquired habit that is not adaptive and does not report anything positive, but that the addicted person can not avoid.
3. Deterioration of personal relationships
There are also negative effects of mobile addiction linked to the deterioration of interpersonal relationships . Many experts point out the paradox that, in the historical epoch in which we are more connected to other people and cultures, we suffer more from the effects of loneliness, isolation and incomprehension.
We have all noticed that meetings between friends have changed in the last decade. It is almost unthinkable that the friendly talks are not constantly interrupted by one of the friends, who can not stop checking his mobile, answering messages, calls ...
It is even possible to observe how in groups of friends, each and every one of them are more aware of their mobile phone than of the people in front of them. This kind of collective autism makes us not enjoy the interactions in person, since we are in multitasking mode and paying attention to the smartphone, which ends up distorting the sense of the meeting, generating frequent pauses, and therefore not allowing us to flow and maintain a cool and dynamic conversation.
The friendly presenteeism
In another old article by the occupational psychologist Jonathan García-Allen published in Psychology and Mind We talk about occupational presenteeism. This phenomenon occurs when a worker goes to his job but, for some reason, spends much of the day to issues unrelated to their job duties.
Somehow, mobile addiction is causing a similar phenomenon in interpersonal relationships. Our friendly or romantic encounters are marred by constant interruptions. This alters the magic and the unique and unrepeatable character of each interaction.
The image we show with this attitude is very negative . We have normalized it, but let's stop and think for a second: how would we feel if someone with whom we stayed was constantly losing attention in us to look at another individual sitting several meters away, or a television screen? We would probably hold for a few minutes, until we would get angry and leave the place.
Of course, there are people who do not have the bad habit of checking their mobile phone while they eat or go out for a drink with a friend. This is appreciated. And, of course, they deserve our respect and we stop acting by dividing our attention between real conversation and virtual conversations. It is a question of respect, of education and of valuing the other person and offering our full attention. Your time is just as valuable as ours .
Bibliographic references:
- Davey S, Davey A (2014). "Assessment of Smartphone Addiction in Indian Adolescents: A Mixed Method Study by Systematic-review and Meta-analysis Approach".
- Gibson, E. (2011). Smartphone dependency: a growing obsession with gadgets. Available in: USA Today
- Jonathan K. J. (1998). "Internet Addiction on Campus: The Vulnerability of College Students". CyberPsychology & Behavior. eleven).
