The Health News Australia May 8 2018
A Deakin University study examined almost 400 undergraduate students and found that a third of them felt anxious if they were unable to regularly check their phones. Also 40% of the students felt lost without their phones while 34% even lost sleep due to the excessive amount of time they spent on their devices.
It’s no secret that smartphone addiction can affect one’s emotional well being, relationships and work productivity. A study conducted by Deakin University examined almost four hundred undergraduate students and found that a third of them felt anxious if they were unable to regularly check their phones. Forty percent of the students felt lost without their phones while thirty four percent even lost sleep due to the excessive amount of time they spent on their devices and more than half were on their phones when they should be doing other things.
Lead researcher Doctor Sharon Horwood said the findings were surprising. She stated: “There’s no doubt that smartphones have changed the way we do things, and given that around eighty eight percent of Australians have smartphones, we must feel as though we get something good from using them.”
There is one theory that can explain why people can become extremely reliant on their phones as they feel the need to constantly stay online and connected via social media. It’s called the fear of missing out or FoMO. This study was published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior and it shows that smartphone use is becoming an increasingly prevalent public health issue.
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