Smartphones are a great way to stay connected with
family and friends. But what if you suddenly lost
that connection? In a new Iowa State University
study researchers have developed a questionnaire to
help you determine if you suffer from nomophobia or
a fear of being without your mobile phone..
Caglar Yildirim, lead author of the study and a
Ph.D. student in human computer interaction, and
Ana-Paula Correia, an associate professor in ISU’s
School of Education, identified four dimensions of
this modern-day phobia. The study was published in
the journal Computers in Human Behavior. Watch the
above video to learn more about nomophobia and then
answer the questions below to see if you are
nomophobic.
Nomophobia Questionnaire
Study participants were asked to respond to the
following statements on a scale of 1 (strongly
disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). Total scores were
calculated by adding the responses to each item. The
higher scores corresponded to greater nomophobia
severity.
1. I would feel uncomfortable without
constant access to information through my
smartphone.
2. I would be annoyed if I could not look
information up on my smartphone when I wanted to do
so.
3. Being unable to get the news (e.g.,
happenings, weather, etc.) on my smartphone would
make me nervous.
4. I would be annoyed if I could not use my
smartphone and/or its capabilities when I wanted to
do so.
5. Running out of battery in my smartphone
would scare me.
6. If I were to run out of credits or hit my
monthly data limit, I would panic.
7. If I did not have a data signal or could
not connect to Wi-Fi, then I would constantly check
to see if I had a signal or could find a Wi-Fi
network.
8. If I could not use my smartphone, I would
be afraid of getting stranded somewhere.
9. If I could not check my smartphone for a
while, I would feel a desire to check it.
If I did not have my smartphone with me:
1. I would feel anxious because I could not
instantly communicate with my family and/or friends.
2. I would be worried because my family
and/or friends could not reach me.
3. I would feel nervous because I would not
be able to receive text messages and calls.
4. I would be anxious because I could not
keep in touch with my family and/or friends.
5. I would be nervous because I could not
know if someone had tried to get a hold of me.
6. I would feel anxious because my constant
connection to my family and friends would be broken.
7. I would be nervous because I would be
disconnected from my online identity.
8. I would be uncomfortable because I could
not stay up-to-date with social media and online
networks.
9. I would feel awkward because I could not
check my notifications for updates from my
connections and online networks.
10. I would feel anxious because I could not
check my email messages.
11. I would feel weird because I would not
know what to do.
For more information
Computers in Human Behavior
Exploring the dimensions of nomophobia: Development
and validation of a self-reported questionnaire
link...
Iowa State University
link...
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