Mobile phone stress stalks quivering nation

That racing pulse and those stabbing pains in your chest may not be the fault of all those fried breakfasts. Mobile phones now cause untold amounts of stress in our daily lives, according to a survey.

The Post Office questioned just over 2000 people and found that 53 per cent were often anxious about their mobile phone’s battery life or the amount of credit on their handset. The same percentage of people also admitted stressing over the thought of losing their handset or being ‘stranded’ in an area without network coverage.

Nearly one in five respondents also claimed that not being contactable by mobile phone is more stressful than moving house or breaking up with a loved one.

Stuart Fox-Mills, head of telephony at the Post Office, said “nomo-phobia” – the fear or anxiety of being out of mobile contact – affects many people.

“Being out of mobile contact may be the 21st century’s contribution to our already manic lives,” said Fox-Mills.

Other forms of technology cause us stress though. A man in Missouri, US reportedly killed his wife whilst he was trying to install a satellite TV system.

The man had already failed several times to make a hole in a bedroom wall, which was required to install the system. He resorted to blasting his way through the wall with a .22-caliber handgun, but mistakenly shot his wife in the chest.