How much do you think phone usage impacts anxiety?

[Whiskeydeltadeltatango]

So long story short, I was thinking the other day about how my generation ( MiL) was really the end of someone not having a cell phone and a person looking at someone and saying "I'll be back in a few hours" and everyone just trusting that was what was going to happen. Now, if you miss a call during that time it creates worry for some and the expectation is really that you will always be available. I think there was an inherent value of learning that lesson of "ill be back", a little bit of anxiety, result, reduction.


Thoughts?

 

[hawkeyetraveler]

I don’t think it is the phones per se. I think it is the ubiquity of information that makes uncertainty seem unusual. We can track our kids location, we see people post their lives on social media, we have instant access to news before the media even tell us about it. There are far fewer unknowns so we are increasingly uncomfortable with the unknown.

 

[JMNSHO]

I think many people are stuck in a state of unnecessary constant vigilance due to being tethered to a device that continuously communicates and amplifies all potential threats, fears, needs, desires and insecurities. I am largely an out of sight, out of mind kind of person. I have started to give up on my phone—I currently have 142 unread text messages, lol and I’m pretty much fine with that.

 

[ThorneStockton]

YMMV.

This aspect does not resonate with me. I hadn't even realized that's an expectation. Not an anxious person though.

Now, if you miss a call during that time it creates worry for some and the expectation is really that you will always be available.

 

[Whiskeydeltadeltatango]

YMMV.

This aspect does not resonate with me. I hadn't even realized that's an expectation. Not an anxious person though.

I think it speaks to what traveler was saying.

A situation such as:


Person A is at home, person B is running errands. Very common in today's world to have the "have you stopped there yet" type.convo. but information is available and thst person COULD be missing it.



This younger generation though, it doesn't seem to be "have you made it to home depot yet" it's "sara may have done something I need to know about".

 

[ericram]

I had to sit in the US Embassy in Warsaw Poland for 2.5 hours on Monday. You turn off your cell phone and they take it with any other electronic devices. So talk about anxiety. I was counting ceiling tiles and how long it took to old people to use the computer to enter their information. I had to count as they took my watch too. It was shear torture.

 

[ThorneStockton]

I think it speaks to what traveler was saying.

A situation such as:


Person A is at home, person B is running errands. Very common in today's world to have the "have you stopped there yet" type.convo. but information is available and thst person COULD be missing it.



This younger generation though, it doesn't seem to be "have you made it to home depot yet" it's "sara may have done something I need to know about".

I can appreciate that some people are like that. That does not resonate with me though. I don't have the "have you stopped there yet", or the "sara may have done something I need to know about" either.

 

[Whiskeydeltadeltatango]

I can appreciate that some people are like that. That does not resonate with me though. I don't have the "have you stopped there yet", or the "sara may have done something I need to know about" either.

Me either, but it is common, and without trying to sound like an ass I would guess it's more prevalent in females than males, in our generations.

You are a millennial or X right?

This younger generation, they are consumed with Anxiety.

 

[ThorneStockton]

Me either, but it is common, and without trying to sound like an ass I would guess it's more prevalent in females than males.

You are a millennial or X right?

I'm about right in the middle of millennial gen. I have no idea if there's a difference in phone based anxiety among generations or genders. Generations would make more sense to me than genders, but I could not say.

 

[HawkMachine]

Cellphones are terrible.

I have a family rule. When we go out to eat phones never come out.

Next time you go to a restaurant, look around and see the lack of interaction.

I find it incredibly sad when there's a parent on their phone while their 10 year old daughter is just sitting there. No interaction, no nothing. There's a reason why kids are messed up more than before. To me, it all starts with parenting.

 

[onlyTheObvious]

A lot. Specifically it’s social media. Convinces people of anything they want to be convinced of.

Trans is a perfect example. We have thousands of kids now insisting they are in the wrong body.

That thought was laughable 30 years ago.

Social media creates and grows mental issues in many.

Drugs Alcohol Credit Guns and Social Media are all things most people can handle. It’s those that can’t that really F up society for everybody else.

Pretty sure if somebody likes having sex with Raccoons while canoeing they could find a social media outlet where that’s considered normal and acceptable and they are not perverts but victims of hate.

 

[Hawkfan_08]

Cellphones are terrible.

I have a family rule. When we go out to eat phones never come out.

Next time you go to a restaurant, look around and see the lack of interaction.

I find it incredibly sad when there's a parent on their phone while their 10 year old daughter is just sitting there. No interaction, no nothing. There's a reason why kids are messed up more than before. To me, it all starts with parenting.

When my daughters were doing swimming lessons last month, I would watch parents and watch the kids.

Multiple lessons, 100% of parents (other than me) were looking at their phones the entire time or almost the entire time. Kids in the pool would look up to wave at their parents or to see if they were watching to see heads down in their laps...

The same group of people get furious with kids being on their phones too much and want more strict rules at school about it. While I am all in favor of that happening at school, parents need to be held equally responsible for what happens at home and how they interact with their stuff.

 

[Whiskeydeltadeltatango]

A lot. Specifically it’s social media. Convinces people of anything they want to be convinced of.

Trans is a perfect example. We have thousands of kids now insisting they are in the wrong body.

That thought was laughable 30 years ago.

Social media creates and grows mental issues in many.

Drugs Alcohol Credit Guns and Social Media are all things most people can handle. It’s those that can’t that really F up society for everybody else.

Pretty sure is somebody likes having sex with Raccoons while canoeing they could find a social media outlet where that’s considered normal and acceptable and they are not perverts but victims of hate.

...funny you should ask........

 

[Pinehawk]

This is a very long article on this subject...but well worth the read.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazin...rican-loneliness-personality-politics/681091/

Paste the link on this page to get around the paywall:
https://12ft.io/

 

[gohawks50]

I don't get anxious that I might be missing something if I don't have my phone, but I like the security of always having a way to call for help if I need it. I grew up before cell phones existed where if you had car trouble or an accident you'd have to walk to the nearest house to ask to use their phone. If I had to do that now there would only be a couple numbers that I have memorized because the cell phone remembers for me. These days it bothers me if I forget my phone even on a short trip to town. I also like having entertainment in my pocket if I have to wait for an appointment.

 

[the24fan]

So long story short, I was thinking the other day about how my generation ( MiL) was really the end of someone not having a cell phone and a person looking at someone and saying "I'll be back in a few hours" and everyone just trusting that was what was going to happen. Now, if you miss a call during that time it creates worry for some and the expectation is really that you will always be available. I think there was an inherent value of learning that lesson of "ill be back", a little bit of anxiety, result, reduction.


Thoughts?

Totally agree it does. My two girls ages 15 and 13 struggle with it . Social anxiety.
I have no doubts it’s all the. Rap they see on social media.

 

[IIowaFarmBoy]

Aside from much of the above, cell phones also bring in being tracked (studies show that security cams for instance even make law followers anxious.

Being near a phone is not healthy according to most of the rest of the world and I do believe it.

Cell towers especially 5g can't be good to live near. Same for wifi and dirty electricity.

 

[Colonoscopy]

Sure.

Although figured biggest impact is time spent on phone in lieu of real face to face human interaction and the resulting anxiety realized when put into X social situation that the person hasn't had any experience with.

 

[HawkMachine]

Totally agree it does. My two girls ages 15 and 13 struggle with it . Social anxiety.
I have no doubts it’s all the. Rap they see on social media.

I definitely think young girls have it the worst.

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

Me either, but it is common, and without trying to sound like an ass I would guess it's more prevalent in females than males, in our generations.

You are a millennial or X right?

This younger generation, they are consumed with Anxiety.

I'm an Xennial (b 1982). I would argue a lot of the anxiety has more to do with social media and the internet in general than the phone itself.

Plus there is a lot more rampage violence now. The politics of the country are not nearly as stable as they used to be.

I think all of these things can make people anxious.

 

[BonzoFury]

Had an interesting discussion with an old classmate of mine at our recent reunion. He’s a doctor of psychology and involved in quite a bit of research. He believes cell phones and related digital media are the root of more mental illness than we know. While connections have certainly been made in various studies, he says we’re just scratching the surface of how badly it’s fvcked people up and by extension society.

 

[LBoogie28]

Large portions of my work day take place in areas where I am not able to have a cell phone (or any “smart” device). No noticeable anxiety associated with either state of having it on my person or not.

 

[soonerinlOUisiana]

Cellphones are terrible.

I have a family rule. When we go out to eat phones never come out.

Next time you go to a restaurant, look around and see the lack of interaction.

I find it incredibly sad when there's a parent on their phone while their 10 year old daughter is just sitting there. No interaction, no nothing. There's a reason why kids are messed up more than before. To me, it all starts with parenting.

Brazilian steakhouse about five years ago, springtime. Two couples apparently double-dating for prom at a nearby table. All four just sitting there looking at their phones.

Back in my day, the two girls would have been jabbering their heads off, with the guys merely responding, uh-huh, uh-huh……

 

[TJ8869]

Aside from much of the above, cell phones also bring in being tracked (studies show that security cams for instance even make law followers anxious.

Being near a phone is not healthy according to most of the rest of the world and I do believe it.

Cell towers especially 5g can't be good to live near. Same for wifi and dirty electricity.

I’m curious to hear your thoughts on dirty electricity.

 

[IIowaFarmBoy]

I’m curious to hear your thoughts on dirty electricity.

I have a radiation meter and it shows when there are bad outlets, switches and such. My wife is super sensitive (genetics show it) and I found a line under the bedroom that was emitting above normal. I turned off the line and she sleeps better.

I can actually read it on a meter.

 

[IIowaFarmBoy]

I have a radiation meter and it shows when there are bad outlets, switches and such. My wife is super sensitive (genetics show it) and I found a line under the bedroom that was emitting above normal. I turned off the line and she sleeps better.

I can actually read it on a meter.

A bunch of you take better care of your car than your body.

 

[ThorneStockton]

I have a radiation meter and it shows when there are bad outlets, switches and such. My wife is super sensitive (genetics show it) and I found a line under the bedroom that was emitting above normal. I turned off the line and she sleeps better.

I can actually read it on a meter.

Turn the line back on without mentioning it. See if she notices. I'd bet not.

 

[St. Louis Hawk]

A bunch. Anxiety as in “the next email is going to drop the bomb on me at work.”

And then you go home and look at social media with everyone posting about their bigger and better cars, homes, vacations, … college football teams, and NIL signings.

It’s all anxiety.

 

[NoWokeBloke]

IDK but how much has Trump caused anxiety? If this board is any indication, alot!

 

[IIowaFarmBoy]

Turn the line back on without mentioning it. See if she notices. I'd bet not.

I did and yes she didn't sleep.

 

[TJ8869]

I have a radiation meter and it shows when there are bad outlets, switches and such. My wife is super sensitive (genetics show it) and I found a line under the bedroom that was emitting above normal. I turned off the line and she sleeps better.

I can actually read it on a meter.

What sort of genetic testing?

 

[3boysmom]

I think for sure and for different reasons. To be clear, I am Gen X and my anxiety didn't start with cell phones. But they add to what has already always been there. Mostly because it makes me feel like I have to always be available with regard to work.
I'm too old to care so much about keeping up with the Joneses and I already have the things that matter to me. If I were younger maybe that would add to it. I'm glad I didn't grow up in the social media age because it probably would have made it much worse for me.

 

[IIowaFarmBoy]

What sort of genetic testing?

There are certain genes associated with higher sensitivites