This common phone habit can lead to anxiety, experts say
People who have strict routines around their phone usage may not suffer as much
(Web Desk) - Experts have revealed a common phone habit could be giving people anxiety and negatively impacting their mental health.
In today’s world, having a smartphone for work and another for personal use is fairly common, and while it may help keep our professional and social lives separate, the experts say there are some downsides when it comes to our mental well-being.
David Sheffield, a professor of psychology at the University of Derby believes that owning two devices may be linked with anxiety or neuroticism, which Psychology Today defines as “a tendency toward anxiety, depression, self-doubt, and other negative feelings”.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Professor Sheffield explained: “If you are more neurotic you might be using your phone more and may be more concerned about battery life.”
Others in the field say it may be a sign that someone is worried or has a fear of missing out.
Dr Zaheer Hussain, a senior lecturer in psychology at Nottingham Trent University, said: “There is constant content being provided by social media, sometimes people will mindlessly scroll content out of a learned habit.”
People who have strict routines around their phone usage may not suffer as much, but one expert explained that the feeling of needing to be available 24/7 is bad for our mental health.
“Many people seem to feel an expectation of being reachable all the time, both professionally and privately,” Maxi Heitmayer, researcher of human-computer interactions at the London School of Economics, said.
“This then leads to the unfortunate scenario where there’s two devices that draw in and compete for attention.”
Of course, it is not just people who have two phones that risk impacting their mental health, as those who have problematic usage of one phone can also face issues with anxiety.
