IF YOU find yourself constantly fiddling with your phone and checking for updates, you may be trying to alter your mood, a new study claims.
People who cannot put down their cellphones are more prone to moodiness and temperamental behaviour, according to researchers. They have found a link between phone addiction and emotional instability, as well as a reduced ability to focus on the task at hand. Scientists from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, said individuals who relentlessly checked their phone might be trying to improve how they feel emotionally.
“A person who is moody and temperamental may be more likely to be addicted to their cellphone than more stable individuals,” they wrote in the journal Personality and Individual Differences. “Much like a variety of substance addictions, cellphone addiction may be an attempt at mood repair.
“Incessant checking of e-mails, sending texts, tweeting, and surfing the web may act as pacifiers for the unstable individual distracting him or herself from the worries of the day and providing solace, albeit temporarily, from such concerns.”
They also discovered introverted people were less likely to be hooked on their technology than outgoing individuals. “Those who express feelings of shyness and bashfulness may be less likely to become dependent on their cellphones than their more extroverted counterparts.” – Daily Mail