Smartphones can cause anxiety in a number of ways and smartphone addiction is a very real thing. Colloquially called ‘nomophobia’, or ‘fear of being without your phone’, it can impact us in our everyday lives. It’s something that shouldn’t come as a surprise though. Developers of apps like Facebook or even your email, use psychological tricks to keep us coming back for more.
You see that red number on your Facebook page? That’s telling you that there is a message waiting just for you. How about that ‘ting’ sound telling you a new message has arrived on WhatsApp? Millions of pounds are spent in research and development to come up with ways to keep us coming back for more.
Designed for addiction
Popular games like Candy Crush work on a reward system that has made a simple ap one of the most financially successful video games of all time. And because it’s on your phone, it’s convenient and easy to access.
Most people don’t give it a second thought though.
‘What harm can it do?’
But it can actually do quite a bit of harm. How often do you pause what you are doing to check your phone? Ever heard of FOMO? Things like this can drastically impact our ability to focus on one thing. That can impact on our productivity and even our relationships. It’s can also be responsible for a great deal of anxiety.
Most people don’t give it a second thought though. ‘What harm can it do?’ But it can actually do quite a bit of harm. How often do you pause what you are doing to check your phone? Ever heard of FOMO? Things like this can drastically impact our ability to focus on one thing. That can impact on our productivity and even our relationships. It’s can also be responsible for a great deal of anxiety.
Slow down
There are simple things you can do to lower the ‘temptation’ of checking your phone. Remember, you don’t NEED to be plugged into the web every second of the day. Step back and be in the moment more.
- Turn notifications off
- Leave your phone on the other side of the room when you’re watching a show
- Give yourself a time limit on certain apps (most phones will tell you how many hours you’ve used a programme each day)
- Switch your phone off at certain times
- Delete apps that you know you spend too much time on (even if you download it later, it’s a start!)
- Leave it out of sight
- Swap your phone with a book/magazine
Below is a simple yes or no quiz. If you have more YES answers than NOs, you might want to consider whether you spend too much time ‘plugged in’.
Smartphone quiz
Questionnaire Test
If you got over 10 in the yes field, you might want to consider reducing your time spent on your phone.
This quiz is brought to you by Stress Management Society
