Nomophobia Test: See if you are addicted to your mobile phone

Technology and gadgets have become so ingrained in our lives that scientists have had to invent a new term to describe our pathological fear of being without our cell phones. They call it nomophobia , which stands for “No Mobile Phobia.”

But how big is our addiction? Researchers from Iowa State University have devised a quiz that can tell you if and to what extent you have a serious problem.

The test was evaluated on more than 300 people, and the results showed that it is an accurate predictor of whether a person actually has Nomophobia, or the fear of being without a phone. The results of the study were recently published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior.

The following test asks you to rate the 20 questions on how strongly you disagree (scored as 1 on a scale of 1 to 7) or how strongly you agree (scored as “7” on the scale). The score is calculated by summing the scores for each response, with a higher score corresponding to a greater level of Nomophobia.

Want to understand how big your Nomophobia is? Try the test on yourself:

1. I feel uncomfortable without constant access to information through my smartphone.
2. I get annoyed if I can't see information on my smartphone when I ask for it.
3. If it is impossible to see news (e.g., events, weather, etc.) on my smartphone, it will make me nervous.
4. I get annoyed if I can't use my smartphone and/or its capabilities when I want to.
5. My cell phone running out of battery scares me.
6. If I'm going to run out of credits or hit my monthly data limit, I panic
7. If I don't have a signal to download data or can't connect to Wi-Fi, then I will constantly check my phone to see if I have a signal or can find a Wi-Fi network.
8. If I can't use my smartphone, I'll be afraid of being locked out somewhere.
9. If I can't check my smartphone at some point, I will feel the urge to check it.

If I don't have my smartphone with me:

1. I feel anxious because I won't be able to communicate with my family and/or friends right away
2. I am worried because my family and/or friends would not be able to find me.
3. I feel nervous because I won't be able to receive SMS and calls.
4. I am worried because I will not be able to keep in touch with my family and/or friends.
5. I'm nervous because I can't tell if anyone has tried to contact me.
6. I feel anxious because my constant connection with my family and friends will be cut off.
7. I feel nervous because I will have to log out of his online identity.
8. I'm uncomfortable because I can't stay up to date with my social media and networks.
9. I feel uncomfortable because I can't check my notifications for updates from my contacts and networks.
10. I feel anxious because I can't check my emails.
11. I feel strange because I don't know what to do.

Score Guide:

20: No Nomophobia
21-60: Mild Nomophobia
60-100: Moderate Nomophobia
101 – 140: Severe Nomophobia

But keep this in mind: While most people probably feel some of the above symptoms intensely, that doesn't necessarily mean they also suffer from Nomophobia.

Lead author of the study Caglar Yildirim, a researcher at the University of Iowa, says there is a difference between simply using your smartphone too much and having Nomophobia.