An addiction to smartphones may
be an indication that you are not so emotionally stable, says a new study.
Researchers from the University
of Derby and Nottingham Trent University conducted an online study with 640
smartphone users aged between 13 and 69 to look for the association between
smartphone use and personality traits.
The study found that people who struggle
with their mental health problems were more likely to “intensively” use their
smartphones “as a form of therapy”.
It also found that as anxiety
levels increase in an individual, he or she is more likely to use a smartphone.
“This is because people may be
experiencing problems in their lives such as stress, anxiety, depression,
family problems, so in that state they are emotionally unstable, meaning they
may seek respite in very excessive smartphone use,” said Zaheer Hussain, a
study author and lecturer in psychology at the University of Derby.
“This is worrying,” he said.
People who are closed off or less
open with their emotions are more likely to have problems with smartphone use,
said the study.
Researchers found that the most
utilised smartphone applications among the participants were social networking
apps, which account for roughly half of all utilized apps, followed by instant
messaging and music apps.
Smartphone addicts engage in a
“passive social network,” said Hussain.
“This is where you spend a lot of
time on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, browsing other peoples’ comments,
pictures and posts … so there is no real positive social interaction.”
“Problematic smartphone use is
more complex than previously thought and our research has highlighted the
interplay of various psychological factors in the study of smartphone use,” he
said.
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