Nomo-phobia?

Wouldn't it be nice to stress less? Mobile phones have certainly made life's little headaches like running late or rescheduling an appointment just that little bit easier. With everyone that little bit more accessible, it's never been easier to stay in contact. But according to recent figures in a study commissioned by the British Post Office from pollsters YouGov, mobile phones are the cause of more anxiety than they relieve.

The study revealed that over half the Britons surveyed felt anxious about the loss of their mobile phones or having no network coverage. There was also a considerable amount of participants who fretted over running out of battery on their handset or using up all their credit on their mobile phone deal. Apparently 48 percent of women and 58 percent of men admitted to panicking when a problem arose with their mobile phone. Nine percent of survey participants even admitted feeling stressed when they had their phones switched off.

While the benefits that the mobile phone offers in terms of communication and availability are undeniable, these research results indicate a new mania emerging in the twenty-first century.

The head of telephony at the Post Office, Stewart Fox-Mills, commented that "nomo-phobia" was 'very real for many people in the UK' and that it could possibly rank alongside stressful events in people's lives like break-ups, house relocation and organising family festivities like Christmas dinner. While all that a mobile phone offers certainly makes it indispensable and some of the amazing mobile phone deals out there at the moment make them especially addictive, I never imagined that there would be such psychological ramifications!