The biggest phobia in the world? 'Nomophobia'

A survey of 1,000 people in the UK has revealed that 66% of us suffer from Nomophobia. I had never heard of this so I did some digging around and it turns out that Nomophobia is the fear of being without your mobile phone (hence No Mobile Phone Phobia). Maybe it is wrong to call this a phobia. My understanding is that a phobia is generally an 'irrational fear', and that pang of anxiety when you are without your mobile in this brave new connected world is perhaps an understandable feeling. But either way, for 66% of us, being with your phone at all times is an obsession that occupies every waking minute. Scary stuff!

If you think you may suffer from nomophobia - or 'no mobile phone phobia' - then the warning signs are:

• An inability to ever turn your phone off
• Obsessively checking for missed calls, emails and texts
• Constantly topping up your battery life
• Being unable to pop to the bathroom without taking your phone in with you.

The number of people afflicted with nomophobia was revealed in a study by SecurEnvoy, and shows a rise from a similar study four years ago, where 53 per cent of people admitted the fear of losing their phone.

In the latest study, of the 1,000 people surveyed in the UK, 66 percent said they felt the fear. Young adults - aged between 18 and 24 - tended to be the most addicted to their mobile phones, with 77% unable to stay apart for more than a few minutes, and those aged 25 to 34 followed at 68%.

I suppose if you feel you are suffering from nomphobia then you should probably seek professional help of some kind. There is probably is a number out there you could call...but I guess that would just be compounding the problem wouldn't it?

It got me to thinking, though, about how recent innovations in technology may be leading to this and other types of new phobias that Dr. Freud could never have imagined in his wildest dreams. I’m just thinking out loud here but what about Loremophbia or as I like to call it The Fear of LOsing the REMOte. After all who hasn't experienced that moment of panic when the rugby is about to start and the TV is running repeats of Egoli.

The good news is that there are worst phobias to suffer from. You ever heard of Anatidaephobia? It's the fear of being watched by a duck. Seriously people...I couldn't make this sh*t up if I tried!