Why being separated from your mobile is almost as bad as PTSD
LOSING a mobile phone can be a real nuisance, especially these days when people often seem to have their whole lives wrapped up in their handsets.
But research suggests young people start to get stressed even when they are just separated from their smartphones for a matter of minutes.
They are so attached to their devices that they start exhibiting the type of attachment behaviours usually reserved for a member of the family. And scientists found even a short time apart from their phone brought on heartbeat patterns associated with post- traumatic stress disorder.
Researchers at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and eotvos Lorand University in Budapest conducted experiments on 87 smartphone owners aged between 18 and 26. Attached to heart monitors, they were given a simple computerised maths test to complete with assistance from the calculator on their phone.
Before being presented with a second set of questions, half were told to switch off their mobiles but keep them close by while the rest had them removed and placed in a cupboard. Some were given an alternative smartphone to use instead.
Analysis showed those separated from their handset were more likely to display signs of stress such as an increased heart rate. The study – in the journal Computers And Human Behaviour – stated: ‘The presence of an unfamiliar mobile decreased the effects of separation from their own mobile, similar to the calming effect of a stranger on children who are separated from the care-giver.’