Do You Have Nomophobia?

Nomophobia (literally, “no mobile phone phobia”), or fear of being without a smartphone for any length of time is arguably a real problem that is facing our super-connected society. Hand-in-hand with smartphone addiction comes the fear of not being connected to your loved ones and, more importantly, your beloved device. Recently, researchers at Iowa State University published a paper exploring the dimensions and reasons behind nomophobia. You can read it here. But, for those of of you more interested in whether or not you have this problem, read on! Below, you’ll find one of the actual questionnaires from the Iowa State study. Originally, the questionnaire was based on the Likert scale, which means that you would answer on a scale of 1 to 5, based on how much you agreed (5) or disagreed (1) with the statement. For simplicity’s sake, I might recommend simply answering Yes or No. If you have more Yes than No answers, then you might have nomophobia.

Nomophobia Questionnaire

Without my smartphone…

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.

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