Fear of Being Phoneless Is on the Rise

Nomophobia, the fear of being without a cell phone, is becoming increasingly common.

If you obsessively check for your phone or lose your cool when you don’t have reception, you may have nomophobia, or fear of being without a cell phone, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The relatively new phobia is on the rise, according to a new report sponsored by SecurEnvoy, a company specializing in digital passwords.

Two thirds of 1,000 people who took a British survey said they were afraid of losing their phones, up from 53 percent four years ago. Of those aged 18 to 24, 77 percent were identified as nomophobes, followed by 68 percent of people ages 25 to 34. Women were 9 percent more likely to have the fear, possibly because many men have a spare cell phone.

Side effects of nomophobia — short for no-mobile-phobia — include panic attack, shaking, sweating, and nausea when a cell phone is out of reach or battery, according to AllAboutCounseling.com. Phobia therapists suggest treatments such as going phoneless for a while, avoiding negative thoughts, and breathing techniques or yoga.

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