Mobile phones are everywhere. Not having one is the exception and no longer the norm.
For the most part, this is a good thing. It enables us to keep in touch with our friends and loved ones wherever we’re at. A mobile phone is also a lifesaver inemergencies.
但是，尽管手机很方便，但我们对它们的上瘾可能会影响我们的精神卫生。这些精美的电动设备对我们的伤害远胜于帮助吗？
Can Phone Overuse Hurt Our Mental Health?
It’s a known fact that phone overuse can have negative physical impacts. It can, for example, hurt eyesight. It also causes a condition known as “text neck,” in which you suffer neck pain due to always tilting your head down to stare at a mobile screen.
However, the research regarding mobile phones and mental health are fewer. They do exist, though, with more researchers chiming in with their own expertise and input.
One such study in 2016, titled “Computers in Human Behavior，”揭示，过度使用电话可能与与焦虑和抑郁有关的症状有关。该研究由308名志愿者组成，他们回答了有关其心理健康以及一般电话使用行为的一系列问题（例如，他们使用它的频率，使用它的频率等）。
The findings? High phone usage had a strong correlation to depression and bouts of anxiety. Researchers speculate that this was likely due to an endemic known as “Fear of Missing Out,” or FOMO. Since the bulk of social interactions are done over the phone and online, people tend to feel like they’re missing out if they don’t jump in the fray.
Cell phones even made the list of addictive substances in the 5Thedition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The manual states that users may undergo a withdrawal phase if separated from their phones for a prolonged period.
In anotherstudy from the University of Derby, it found that participants spent an average 3.6 hours a day on their phones, with 13% of the subjects listed as “addicted” to their devices. The study also found a link between excessive phone use and narcissism and neuroticism.
Finding the Right Balance
Should you immediately cancel your phone carrier and smash your phone with a hammer? No, you do not need to go to that extreme, nor do you need to drastically limit your phone use to just emergency use.
We do, after all,live in a digital worldwhere not having a mobile device makes it rather difficult to get by without one. Rest assured that continued mobile phone use will not put you in a downward spiral path of depression as long as your eyes aren’t glued to your phone screen 24/7.
We do, however, recommend putting your phone down if you suspect you’re a borderline phone-addict. Here are some ways to help you spend more time in the real world and away from the digital world taking place behind a screen.
1. Turning Off Notifications.
There’s nothing wrong with checking phone notifications. The problem, though, is that checking a single notification alert often turns into half an hour of mindless browsing, texting, or playing games.
Unless you’re expecting an important call, turn notifications off.
2. Establish a Phone-Free Time.
手机真的需要在餐桌旁伸出手吗？您上次您实际上是什么时候真正阅读精装书而不是电子书？
Establish a timeframe each day where you put your phone away. This may include meal times, an hour before bed, etc. This is also a good ritual to do with your kids to ensure they don’t fall into the phone addiction trap.
3. Take Regular Phone Breaks.
Unless it’s an important or work-related purpose, establish a limited timeframe for phone use. Perhaps set a limit of a 15-minute break for every 30-minutes of non-essential phone use.
减少电话使用时间and increase break time as you become accustomed to not using your phone so much. If you’re old enough to remember the days before cell phones, you’ll realize that you got by perfectly fine without them at one point.
There is nothing inherently wrong with mobile phone use as long as you don’t become too fixated on your miniature portable device. As a phone deal service, Handset Expert wishes for everyone to use their phones often but responsibly and never to the point of addiction.
About The Author
This is a guest post by Hannah Hutchinson, a freelance blogger currently working for the UK-based HandsetExpert.