“I check the phone regularly even if it doesn’t ring.” “The mobile is always within reach even at night.” “If I leave the phone at home, I’ll be right back for it.” “If I’m in an area without coverage I get nervous.” If all these phrases fit you, you are probably wondering why this is happening to you. Why do we feel like a slave to the mobile phone?
Currently 60% of smartphone users experience nomophobia, that is, experiencing a feeling of anxiety when seeing that our battery has run out and we are away from home or that we have forgotten the phone at home or any of the previous statements. Where does this huge attachment to a device come from?
The answer could come from the way we become attached to people in our childhood. Attachment to our parents or the people who care for us has a clear adaptive survival function. However, this behavior can also be triggered in adulthood, as human beings cope better in situations where others give us a feeling of closeness and security. Also, when we don’t have those people available, we start looking for substitutes, such as pets, toys or other types of items.
Today, most people own or use a mobile phone, and therefore it is understandable under these premises that, in the absence of real people with whom to develop the attachment, the phone acts as a substitute.
In what way do we become slaves of the mobile?
Apart from the fact that almost everyone uses a mobile phone, there are two reasons why we can feel like a slave to these devices. First of all, mobiles allow contact with others through social media and text messages . Consequently, they have the function of facilitating relationships, that is, a channel with which to contact either friends or family.
Second, mobile phones store photos, videos, pages and other personal information that can be customized to suit our preferences, such as the ringtone or the image on the lock screen. All of this increases its value as an object of attachment.
Study on the ‘affection’ to the mobile
A team of researchers from the Ethology department of the Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest (Hungary) examined different aspects of our connection with the mobile. Do we become fond of the mobile for its ability to facilitate contact with our loved ones or do we lean towards them as substitutes for human contact?
The experts had 142 participants aged 19-25 years and carried out various experiments and questionnaires to check the form of attachment to the mobile.
The study found that the anxiety derived from the fear of separation from the mobile phone predicted a greater need for contact, which meant that for those who had high anxiety about being close to the mobile, the function of facilitating the relationship with their family members was the best. more important.
Keeping the cell phone close was equally important for all the volunteers in the study, yet only people with anxiety stayed close to their phone to be in constant contact with other people.
Gender differences
Regarding gender differences, the researchers found that women used mobile phones more to call and send text messages (more for communication purposes) than men, confirming previous studies that have shown that women use mobile phones. phones more for social purposes. Men, on the contrary, used the mobile more to search for information or games. Due to this difference in use, females are more likely to feel dependent on mobile phones than males.
Referencia: Konok, V., Gigler, D., Bereczky, B. M., & Miklosi, A. (2016) ‘Humans’ attachment to their mobile phones and its relationship with interpersonal attachment style’ Computers in Human Behaviour, 61, 537-547. doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.03.062
