However, the recent findings indicate that people check their phones an average of 58 times a day, often without a specific purpose.
An average user spends three hours per day on mobile. Just think of the numbers!
This behaviour can quickly evolve into a compulsive habit.
Dopamine, often called the ‘feel good’ hormone, plays a significant role in this process. Before checking your phone, dopamine levels rise, creating a sense of anticipation. This hormone is linked to all addictive processes.
When users post on social media, they anticipate likes and comments.
Their dopamine levels rise, but if the expected engagement doesn’t occur, dopamine levels drop. This drop compels them to keep checking their phone, creating a cycle. The cycle of rising and dropping dopamine levels can result in compulsive and addictive phone use.
Here are 6 signs of compulsive phone checking you should observe in yourself and stop it
1. Waking up to check your phone
If you wake up from sleep just to check your phones, it indicates a severe habit.
Suggestion: Position the phone at a distance to make night checks inconvenient.
2. Checking without any notification
Obsessive checking of your phone every few seconds with any new notifications suggests a problem.
Suggestion: Try to increase the intervals between checks.
3. Repeated refreshing
Constantly refreshing a page isn’t healthy. This indicates a need for a dopamine surge and anticipating some from your phone.
Suggestion: Limit refreshing to one per check.
4. Post-refresh obsession
If users keep refreshing a page often without any new developments after posting, it’s a warning sign.
Suggestion: Engage in other activities in real life and leave your phone away.
5. Breaking set limits
Regularly breaking self-imposed limits for phone usage per day or week indicates the need for outside help.
Suggestion: Seek assistance from others to enforce these limits.
6. Feeling out of control
Frustration and an inability to change are significant signs of a phone addiction.
Suggestion: If you hate your habit but you can’t seem to change it and feel out of control with escalating behaviour, it’s important to get help from professionals or loved ones.
