Sharks, illness, claustrophobia, and heights are all things which might strike the average individual as rational fears.
But, apparently, the British have been harbouring others, according to a recent survey ahead of Halloween.
Getting stuck in a lift, missing a flight, and smashing a phone screen have been named as Britons' biggest fears, with 42 per cent of people said to have 'nomophobia' – meaning they are terrified of being without mobile connectivity, according to Sky Mobile.
Astonishingly, or perhaps not for members of Gen-Z who have been tied to devices for quite some years already, almost a quarter of people (23 per cent) would prefer to hold a tarantula, while 14 per cent would rather swim with sharks than be without their phone for a week. Some even admitted they would prefer to sleep in a haunted house than lose connection to 5G signals.
Ensuring that you own your technology rather than allowing your technology to own you is key
Psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos said “The reason that we're less afraid of being bitten by sharks than losing our phones speaks to how entwined our phones have become with our day-to-day lives. We feel that so much of our lives are bound up with our technology, and we can’t see a way forward without it.
"From connecting with friends to engaging with colleagues, from dealing with boredom to planning and creating, our phones are no longer just phones but, in a sense, a digital extension of ourselves, so it can seem terrifying to think of not having this tech at our fingertips..."Whether around the dinner table or a couple of hours before bed, ensuring that you own your technology rather than allowing your technology to own you is key.”
Dr Papadopoulos continued to say that whilst a huge connection to phones is common, there needs to be some balance. It is important to moderate dependency by remembering important phone numbers, and connecting with people and surroundings physically. Moreover, people should make a conscious effort to be without phones at moments during the day.
Whilst other fears unrelated to phones, such as heights (38 per cent), spiders (31 per cent), and rollercoasters (24 per cent), were not ruled out among the 2,000 poll respondents, research discovered that most technology-related spooks had claimed a spot towards the top of the list.
The top 20 modern spooks are:
1. Being stuck in a lift
2. Missing a flight
3. Dropping your phone and smashing the screen
4. Work being deleted from your computer before you could hit ‘save’
5. Sending a text to the wrong person
6. Having no phone signal/service
7. Being without your smart phone
8. Making a bad typo on an important email
9. Being next to someone with a cold on the Tube
10. Accidentally messaging the wrong group chat
11. Sitting in the middle seat on a plane for a long flight
12. Running out of mobile phone data
13. Social media stalking someone and liking an old post
14. Being stuck somewhere with slow Wi-fi
15. Being tagged in unflattering photos on Instagram
16. Bumping into your ex on a night out
17. Sending the wrong emoji on a text
18. Missing out on concert tickets
19. Turning up to a party too early
20. Getting 'ghosted' on a dating app
