Smartphone addiction, nomophobia, ‘socialbesity’: there are many names for the excessive use of our smartphones. Do you feel completely lost if your battery is running out and do you always ask for the Wi-Fi code in every public spot? These and eight other habits might be a sign of a smartphone addiction.
#1 You take your smartphone with you everywhere you go. Even to the toilet.
Reading the back of the toilet spray is history because you always take your smartphone with you to the toilet. The visits take might take a bit longer as won’t leave until you finished that one level of Candy Crush Jelly or checked your entire Facebook timeline.
Dirty fact: Did you know… a research by the University of Arizona indicates that toilet seats in offices are much cleaner (even about 500 times) than most phones? (Source: Quote)
#2 The first thing you do when you wake up is looking on your phone
Before you turn on the light on your nightstand or make breakfast, you check whether you have received any new messages. After that, you scroll down your Instagram-account. Before you step into the shower your weather app has informed you the sun is going to shine and your news app updated you on the highlights you missed while you were asleep for a couple of hours.
#3 You always have an emergency charger with you…
… just in case! An additional cable in your bag, a USB car charger in your car and a powerbank in your pocket. You make sure you will never be surprised with a dead battery.
#4 Every hour you check your screen to see if you have new messages
You don’t want to miss anything! And every hour? You might even say 5 times per hour. How else can you stay up to date?
#5 You discover that you forgot your phone and turn around right away to get it
Without your smartphone, you can’t make it through the day. What else do you have to do if you’re waiting for the bus or during your lunch break? Besides, you need to discuss in the group app who is going to do the groceries and what time you are meeting to go to the gym. And don’t even get you started on everything you might miss on your social media if you don’t return home to get your precious device.
#6 You ask always and everywhere for the WiFi code
Okay, with your 8GB of mobile data you can do a lot already, but you still ask for the WiFi code everywhere you go. Reaching your data limit would be really terrible!
#7 The last thing you do before you go to sleep is use your phone
One last episode of that exciting show on Netflix, a final quick look on your wall posts, the Snaps of your friends and the feeds on Instagram. Okay, time to sleep. Well… sleep? Did you know that research by amongst others Harvard shows that the blue light of mobile devices has a negative effect on melatonin, the hormone that regulates our sleep? Use a screen protector with a special filter to protect your eyes from this harmful part of the light spectrum.
#8 You always have your smartphone within arm’s reach. Even during breakfast or dinner
You just might get a message that is truly important. You need to answer that quickly, even if this disturbs the quality time with your friends and family. Did you hear the Pope is campaigning against smartphones during dinner time?
#9 On holiday without WiFi? Hell no!
How else do share your daily jealous-making beach pictures and summer night selfies?
#10 You often hear your phone ringing, while in fact it doesn’t
Sometimes you think you’re going crazy. You were 100% sure your phone was ringing, but when you look at the screen there is no message or missed call. This is called the Phantom Vibration Syndrome. Your brain must determine all the time if your phone is or isn’t ringing, based on millions of pieces of information that constantly trigger you. Sometimes this causes noise to your brain. Rest assured, it is not a pathological hallucination which you should be (or can be) treated for.
And? What do you think? Do you suffer from Nomophobia? Share your opinions in the comments below!
