Anxiety is the affliction of life in the modern world. Now add to the stress list: “nomophobia”, the fear of being out of mobile phone contact.

Researchers in Britain have carried out a study and found that nomophobia is plaguing our 24/7 life — running out of battery or credit, losing one’s handset and not having network coverage “affects 53 per cent of mobile users”.

“We’re all familiar with the stressful situations of everyday life such as moving house, break-ups and organising a family Christmas, but it seems being out of mobile contact may be the 21st century’s contribution to our already manic lives.

“Being phoneless and panicked is a symptom of our 24/7 culture,” Stewart Fox-Mills, the Head of Telephony at the Post Office, which commissioned the YouGov survey, was quoted by The Independent newspaper as saying.

According to the survey, men suffer more than women, with 48 per cent of females and 58 per cent of males admitting to feelings of anxiety.

More than 20 per cent of the 2,163 respondents said they never switched off their mobiles, and one in ten admitted that their job required them to be contactable at all times, the survey has revealed.

Some 55 per cent cited keeping in touch with friends or family as the main reason for being wedded to their handsets and nine per cent said having their phone switched off made them anxious.

However, the Post Office has come up with a solution to avoiding nomophobia. It recommends leaving loved ones an alternative contact number and making a back-up list of all contacts in case the phone is lost or stolen.

Via The Times