Brit Cell Phone Users Fear Losing Contact

London, England (AHN)-A new phobia or anxiety has emerged from a study, nomophobia or the fear of being out of mobile phone contact. This kind of stress is afflicting one in five phone users in Britain, according to the study done by YouGov.

Fifty-three percent of United Kingdom's 45 million mobile phone users are anxious over running out of battery or credit, losing one's handset and losing network coverage.

"We're all familiar with the stressful situations of everyday life such as moving house, break-ups and organizing a family Christmas, but it seems being out of mobile contact may be the 21st century's contribution to our already manic lives. Being phoneless and panicked is a symptom of our 24/7 culture," said Stewart Fox-Mills, the head of telephony at the Post Office, which commissioned the survey.

According the YouGov study, men were more likely than women to be anxious or affected by losing mobile phone contact. It revealed that 48 percent of women and 58 percent of men admitting to feelings of anxiety.

Furthermore, over 20 percent of the 2,163 survey respondents said they never switched off their mobile phones, and one in 10 said their job required them to be contactable at all times.

The survey also revealed that around 55 percent cited keeping in touch with friends or family as the main reason for being glued to their handsets and nine percent said switching off their phone made them anxious.

The Post Office has come up with a guide to avoid "nomophobia", one of which is providing loved ones an alternative contact number and making a back-up copy of all contacts in case the phone is lost or stolen.