New research provides insight into factors that influence fear of being disconnected from mobile phones, also known as nomophobia. A key finding was that improvements in interpersonal problem-solving skills were equivalent to reductions in phobias. Additionally, emotional intelligence was found to be associated with stronger interpersonal problem-solving skills and lower stress. This study Journal of Technology in the Behavioral Sciences.
Mobile phones have become ubiquitous and the use of this technology is deeply integrated into our daily lives. Inevitably, the modern state of mind has arisen. One is the term nomophobia (“mobile phone phobia”), coined to describe the discomfort or fear that individuals experience due to being away from their mobile phones for long periods of time.
Published literature primarily focuses on how factors such as academic performance, loneliness, and attention are related to nomophobia. In the current study, a team led by Fatma Gizem Karaoglan Yilmaz from Turkey’s Baltin University took this further.
The theoretical framework originally proposed by researchers outlined the relationships between phobias, emotional intelligence, interpersonal problem solving, perceived stress, and self-esteem.
They proposed that people with nomophobia are more likely to experience stress from the uncertainty and lack of control that comes from being unable to communicate and feel disconnected without a phone. Additionally, people with high self-esteem are often good at social interactions, whereas people with nomophobia have low self-esteem and have difficulty forming connections with others, which can further increase stress.
Yilmaz et al. also proposed that high emotional intelligence, a strong ability to understand and manage emotions, can prevent the development of phobias and subsequently reduce stress associated with the disorder.
Finally, people with high interpersonal problem-solving skills may be able to manage their emotions (i.e., have high emotional intelligence) in order to mentally resolve the problems they encounter. The authors suggested that people with nomophobia have difficulty forming interpersonal relationships and therefore have difficulty managing stress.
Therefore, this research study aimed to investigate the accuracy of this complex hypothetical framework in undergraduate students.
Data were collected from 543 undergraduate students (57% female, 43% male) who voluntarily participated in an online survey. Questionnaires were used to measure her five key components: phobias, emotional intelligence, interpersonal problem solving, stress perception, and self-esteem.
Using a statistical tool called path analysis, Yilmaz et al. were able to unravel the relationships between the five factors and understand how they work together and influence each other, ultimately determining how many I have come to an important conclusion.
Contrary to what the authors originally believed, emotional intelligence had no direct effect on nomophobia.
Improving emotional intelligence was found to improve interpersonal problem-solving skills, which was the strongest association of all the associations analyzed. In other words, people who better understand their emotions tend to be better at solving interpersonal challenges. The researchers also found that as interpersonal problem solving increased, nomophobia decreased.
Furthermore, increased interpersonal problem solving would lead to decreased perceived stress. “Examining interpersonal problem-solving skills shows that communication between people is important. People with nomophobia are known to have difficulty with social communication,” the authors explained.
“Furthermore, interpersonal problem solving also [known] As a solution to social problems. [Individuals] When faced with these challenges, we experience high levels of stress. People who are successful in resolving interpersonal problems can also be said to be successful in communicating in social life. In such situations, they are good at managing the sources of stress. ”
Additionally, increased emotional intelligence can also lead to decreased perceived stress. Yilmaz et al. concluded that “people who are unable to actively and effectively use their emotional intelligence are unable to properly channel their emotions in times of crisis.” However, nomophobia had no direct effect on perceived stress.
Finally, increased perceived stress led to decreased self-esteem. “Excessive use of technology can cause people to have low self-esteem and increase the level of stress they feel from using technology. …Given that people with low self-esteem have difficulty socializing, This can lead to increased dependence, which can negatively impact your ability to cope with stress.”
Although this study provides valuable insight into the complex relationship between nomophobia and various psychological factors, limitations should also be considered. For example, this study focused on undergraduate students, limiting generalizability to older adults and individuals in the workforce.
the study, “Relationships among phobias, emotional intelligence, interpersonal problem solving, perceived stress, and self-esteem in undergraduate students.” was written by Fatma Gizem Karaoglan Yilmaz, Ramazan Yilmaz, and Fatih Erdogdu.
