Did you just hear the ring of a WhatsApp notification from your smartphone? You pick it up to check that very important message of yours but unfortunately you realize that no message has arrived. How shall you identify this situation if this happens quite frequently with you? Do you call it an addiction or merely a habit that you are very closely associated with?
Is it something to be concerned? Yes, it is. This is because if such a scenario happens in your life quite a few times in a day, it can be an indication that you are getting addicted to your smartphone.
Studies have suggested that quite a high percentage of people today either overuse or misuse their smartphone usage. However, it is true that the chances of full-fledged addiction to your smartphone can be lower but the chances of you soon becoming a cell phone or tablet addict are quite high.
There are diagnostic quizzes and tools to determine whether you are really addicted to your smartphone or not. To be precise, just like addictions to food, gambling or alcohol, Smartphone addiction can be considered an addiction to technology.
Why This Cell Phone Addiction?
Smartphones have made our lives easier with all the numerous applications that help us organize day to day activities. But there is a quite a large section of the society that believes that smartphones are rather hazardous. More precisely, they believe that it is spoiling the current generation and destroying their ability to think outside the tiny box they hold in their palms.
This is primarily due to the fact that the youth of this generation are getting addicted to their smartphones much like a smoker gets addicted to cigarettes. Recently, doctors have claimed that “Selfitis” is an acceptable mental disorder that forces the bearer to continuously take selfies and upload them on social media.
This case shows how far the addiction of smartphones has spread. This post will aim to dig deep into the addiction to this technology and help you find out if you are addicted to smartphones or not.
What is a technology addiction?
To put it simply, the first impact that an addictive substance provides is the release of a brain chemical known as “dopamine”. In recent times several studies suggest that technology is producing a similar kind of impact.
With the help of smartphones, we can socialize constantly which in turn brings about a personal appeasement, a necessary aspect for social animals like us. Like other addictions, socialization through smartphones is bringing about a feeling of reward in our brains.
Smartphone addiction versus overuse of smartphone
There is a thin line of difference between addiction and over usage of the smartphone. For instance, when you keep your phone under the pillow and check it before going to sleep and look at it as the first thing in the morning it could be considered as problematic usage of the device but not necessarily an addiction.
You should know that when it comes to smartphone addiction, it has to be a little more serious as cell phone addiction has dangerous side effects. For example, when you use your smartphone to fill emotional voids or to distract yourself from unpleasant feelings it can be considered addiction.
Similarly, if you are irritable or anxious when you are unable to use your smartphone for quite some time, your relationship is suffering because you look at the screen for too long or you have the habit of texting even while driving then there are high chances that you are addicted to your smartphone.
To judge yourself better, please go through the following 15 signs that show you are addicted to your smartphones.
15 signs that may indicate smartphone addiction
- You feel that the time you have spent on your smartphone is extremely less when actually it is a lot.
- You procrastinate a lot using your smartphone.
- You cannot keep track of time and frequently miss deadlines because of spending time on your phone.
- You prefer texting or emailing people rather than meeting them personally.
- You have started spending more time on your phone than before.
- You wish that you could spend more time on your cellular device.
- Your phone is switched on even at night and kept under the pillow or by the bedside.
- You are quick to answer emails, tweets or text messages regardless of the activity you are engaged into.
- You use your cell phone while driving or operating heavy machinery.
- You feel that mobile phones are absolutely necessary to increase your productivity.
- You are uncomfortable without your smartphone even if it is for a short period of time.
- You have your smartphone in your pocket most of the time.
- You eat while browsing through your phone.
- You cannot resist the urge to check your phone for updates every few seconds.
- You cannot do any activity without your mobile phone whatsoever.
However, there is no set rule which claims that agreeing to any eight or nine of these makes you a smartphone addict. But you might want to take it as a warning if you do happen to agree to at least seven of them.
As you can see you might be addicted to your smartphone you might not even know it. You are probably reading this on your smartphone right now getting distracted by the several message notifications you’re getting every second.
Unfortunately, the addiction to these smartphones can distract us a lot from real life. Admittedly, smartphones nowadays have all kinds of applications that makes our lives easier. With all of this power in the palm of our hands, we cannot possibly live without our smartphones. Or can we?
How do we get rid of this smartphone addiction?
Of course, people use a lot of smartphones for their own benefits – to call, to use internet, to socialize and a for lot many things. But at the same time, continuous use of this gadget can be dangerous for health as well as your social life.
Find yourself meeting a lot of our criteria for smartphone addiction? Please read our 5 Tips To Avoid Spending Too Much Time On Your Cell phone
If you need help with anything else related to your phone, call into us at VanCell and see if we can’t help with whatever your issue may be.
