Mobile Phone Reviews
 
 
Mobile Phone Addiction Causing Stress and Irritability

Mon, 18 Sep 2006

Mobile phones are as addictive as cigarettes or gambling, with almost one in six youngsters hooked, it was claimed yesterday.

And the habit of being constantly attached to their mobiles is causing their stress levels to soar.

Dr David Sheffield said some of the people he studied displayed behaviour normally associated with pathological gamblers .

One-in-seven (13 per cent) became restless and irritable if they were denied their mobile phone and even more (14 per cent) would lie to cover up the amount of time they spent on their handset . Seven per cent would lose a job rather than give it up.

"This is addictive behaviour. You might ask how people can get hooked on mobile phones but you would probably see similar responses if you took away someone's car . They are part of everyday life," Dr Sheffield said.

"Getting phone calls can make you feel better about yourself give you greater self-esteem. Whereas not getting calls can make you feel down or less important."

The researcher tested the blood pressure of 20 people while they talked about their phone use before and while giving up their mobiles .

He found people seemed less stressed when they had given up their handset .

And their blood pressure didn't go up as much as they discussed their phones .

In the second study 106 students completed two questionnaires about mobile phone use and the addictive qualities of using a mobile .

Dr Sheffield will tell a British Psychological Society conference tomorrow that over 16 per cent of those questioned were found to have problem behaviour with their mobile phones .

This included being pre-occupied with it, being restless or irritable when attempting to cut down on phone use and lying to others about the extent of their mobile phone use.

"This study was carried out specifically on students but it seems large numbers use mobile phones heavily and this has a significant impact on their lives," Dr Sheffield said.
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