The 12 Effects of Nomophobia on Mental Health and Relationships

The need to use the mobile phone constantly to carry out more and more activities makes us think that without this device our life would be more complicated when it comes to successfully fulfilling various tasks of life daily.

That is why for the majority of the population the widespread use of mobile phones represents a social and technology, although for others it can become a true ordeal and a situation of slavery with respect to said technology. In some cases, a dynamic arises that leads us to feel bad if we no longer have access to a smartphone, or to constantly review what its screen offers us.

This fear of being left without a mobile phone is called "nomophobia" and affects mainly adolescents and young people in general, who are in an age range more given to the use of devices connected to the Internet. In today's article we will present the main effects of nomophobia in people affected by this disorder.

The effects of nomophobia

Surely more than once you have wondered what your life and that of those around you would be like without a mobile phone and without all the electronic devices that you use daily in your life.

The truth is that there are some people who harbor an irrational fear of running out of battery in their mobile or not being able to operate with their mobile devices and remain disconnected from the digital world, an alteration that every year affects more people. Let's see what its ramifications are in this summary of the effects of nomophobia.

1. Anxiety when battery is low

Anxiety is one of the first effects that nomophobia has on people who suffer from it and can be defined as a feeling of emotional discomfort, anguish, agitation or fear of the possible consequences of running out of battery in the mobile.

This anxiety normally increases progressively as the person sees how their battery level is decreasing, a fact that is accompanied by increasingly intense symptoms of anxiety in the person, as well as discomfort and affectation in their health mental.

• Related article: "What is anxiety: how to recognize it and what to do"

2. Obsession with having the mobile on

The obsession with having the mobile on and being operational 24 hours a day is another of the more frequent effects of nomophobia, which can be considered as another health disorder mind and lead to psychological problems such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

This obsession is observed in various symptoms: constantly looking at the mobile to see if there are new messages or notifications; be aware of whether there is a battery in the device and do not turn off the mobile at any time of the day.

3. Altered sleep habits

A person suffering from nomophobia may becoming obsessed with being on the phone to the point of not getting enough sleep at night with the aim of not missing anything that happens in the virtual world or in communication with your contacts.

Both lack of sleep and changes in nighttime sleep habits can have an effect truly negative on the mental health of the person and also on their physical health and performance intellectual.

• You may be interested in: "The 7 main sleep disorders"

4. Alteration of other habits

People with nomophobia too they can change certain daily habits in order not to run out of battery or to keep the mobile operational at all times.

This means that they can start going only to sites that they know will be able to load the mobile phone or in those who know one hundred percent that there will be coverage, as well as avoiding those that do not has.

5. Inability to disconnect from mobile

Another classic effect of nomophobia is the inability to disconnect from the mobile for even one minute a day, since people with this problem have the need to be connected and available 24 hours a day.

This also occurs during the summer holidays, a period of the year in which nomophobia becomes very visible, since while everyone rests, these people are still connected and aware of the mobile.

6. Social isolation

Although people with nomophobia have the goal of being connected to their mobile phones throughout the day, the truth is that this alteration ends up causing a progressive social isolation and the real world.

This happens because the person in question can lock himself in her room and stay connected to the mobile. during long days even at night and without paying attention to the people with whom you live from day to day day.

• Related article: "Unwanted loneliness: what it is and how we can fight it"

7. Alteration of social relationships

This social isolation in turn causes relationships with the environment to be progressively affected due to the lack of social and affective responsibilities in which the person is involved in a more or less aware.

The relationships that are affected in cases of nomophobia can be friendships, family relationships, relationships with co-workers and also relationships.

8. physical symptoms

The physical symptoms of stress produced by nomophobia can be varied and depend on the characteristics physical and physiological of each person, experienced every time they have low battery or are unable to operate with the mobile.

Some of the most common are excessive sweating, rapid heartbeat, agitation, headaches, muscle aches, or stomach aches, self-harm and also gastrointestinal problems.

9. Professional or academic affectation

It is evident that a constant obsession with the mobile and a change in behavioral habits daily and sleep end up affecting in the long run the academic and work or professional performance of the person.

In cases of nomophobia, the mobile and virtual interactions become the center of the person's life, even going so far as to neglect daily obligations and responsibilities both in the academic and work fields.

10. Other psychological alterations

Other psychological disturbances that can develop from a case of nomophobia are panic attacks, anxiety disorders of all kinds, obsessive thoughts, stress, low self-esteem and anguish vital.

These alterations in the person's mental health tend to increase the person's need to interact with their mobile device in order to reduce said psychological discomfort.

11. Spending extra money to buy phone items

It is also common for the person with nomophobia to start spending excessively on chargers or mobile phones, reaching the point of carrying one or more chargers and more than one mobile phone with them.

This phenomenon is, once again, a consequence of the obsession with having an operational mobile phone at all times.

12. Alterations in the family environment

As indicated, family relationships are also altered in cases of nomophobia, due to the frustration of not being able to communicate in a normal way with the person who has developed nomophobia.

This type of family problems and the development of new negative dynamics of interaction are a unequivocal sign that there is a problem of nomophobia and that it is necessary to treat it as soon as possible in psychotherapy.