There are phenomena such as FOMO and nomophobia that reflect the fear of being disconnected and this directly influences this behavior.
In the age of technology, it is normal to see that almost everyone on the street They walk with their cell phone in their handit can be for many reasons: from following the GPS, being on a call or simply out of habit. Psychology analyzes this phenomenon and says that It may be related to deeper aspects.
Factors like the fear of being disconnected and uninformed, or the anxiety of waiting for an important message, can affect and cause this type of behavior. The truth is that can cause consequences physical events such as colliding with other people, not seeing the road and falling, or even a larger accident.
person with cell phone in hand
What does it mean to walk while we talk according to psychology
People who use the phone while walking may be affected by several factors, among them is the fact that The intensive and constant use of the Internet may be changing human cognition. Research published in World Psychiatry explained that continuous interaction with social networks trains the brain to receive information in very short periods of time.
The aforementioned influences attention and sustained concentration. Gloria Mark, a researcher at the University of California, published a study in the American Psychological Association, in which she demonstrated how attention span was reduced and went from 2.5 minutes in 2004 to 47 seconds in the last five years.
This impacts the way you walk. Professor Adrian Ward of the University of Chicago led a study that revealed that when talking on the phone while walking, speed is reduced by 13%. While if you write on your cell phone while walking, the walking speed presents a reduction of 33.3% and the majority deviates 61% from the planned trajectory.
Although to this is also added the fear of missing out (FOMO) and to be without the phone (Nomophobia); the two most recurrent phenomena of the time. These two are directly related to anxiety, since the person does not want to be left out of opportunities that they consider valuable, or to find out the latest about something of utmost relevance.
Regarding nomophobia in particular, it presents physical symptoms of anxiety when you’re not by your phone. In this case there is a clear technological dependency and it can cause serious problems such as sleep disturbances, panic attacks and even depressive symptoms.
To avoid these types of consequences, Prudent and responsible use of cell phones is recommended. along with the implementation of a series of healthy habits such as:
- Activate airplane mode or do not disturb to avoid interruptions.
- Turn off notifications of social networks and non-essential apps.
- Put the cell phone away during tasks or social moments.
- Avoid using it with meals to encourage dialogue.
- Mute groups or apps that distract
- Limit time on networks with defined schedules.
- Do not carry the cell phone to the bedroom at night.
- Delete unnecessary apps that consume time.
- do more screen-free activitieslike reading or exercising.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
