Beware ladies! Your smartphone addiction may create personal, social, workplace problems

Do you constantly check your smartphone, even when it does not ring or vibrate or get paranoid when you do not have your phone with you? If yes then you might have to consult a professional help.

A study finds that people, especially females, who are susceptible to smartphone addiction, experience personal, social and workplace problems due to a compulsive need to be on their smartphones.

"Our smartphones have turned into a tool that provides short, quick, immediate satisfaction, which is very triggering," said assistant professor Isaac Vaghefi from Binghamton University-State University of New York in Johnson City, New York.

"Our neurons get fired and dopamine is being released and over time this makes us acquire a desire for quick feedback and immediate satisfaction. This process also has contributed to developing shorter attention spans and being more and more prone to boredom," Vaghefi added in Information Systems Journal.

The team recently surveyed 182 college students and asked them to report their daily routine of smartphone usage.

Based on the analysis of the responses, they classified the user as one of the following types: thoughtful, regular, highly engaged, fanatic and addict.

The results indicated that seven percent were identified as 'addicts' and 12 percent were identified as 'fanatics.'

Both the groups experience personal, social and workplace problems due to a compulsive need to be on their smartphones.

Overall, these users exhibited signs that could indicate depression, social isolation, social anxiety, shyness, impulsivity and low self-esteem.

Females were most likely to exhibit susceptibility to addiction.

"While self-identified 'addict' users were in the minority, I predict technology addiction will increase as technology continues to advance and application, game and gadget developers find new ways to ensure users' long term engagement with technology," Vaghefi stated.

Vaghefi said that if you recognise any of these signs, you may want to consult professional help:

You use technology as a way of escaping problems or relieving feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety or depression.

You ignore what's happening in real time in favour of what's happening virtually.

You constantly check your smartphone, even when it does not ring or vibrate.

You get paranoid when you do not have your smartphone with you.