Before I do anything else in the morning, I reach for my smartphone to shut off the alarm clock, check for messages and social network updates. Before I leave the house, I check for three things inside my bag: car keys, wallet and iPhone. Before I hit the sack at night, I make sure to jot down tomorrow’s activities through an organizer app, and sometimes indulge in a bit of mobile shopping. With this daily routine, a mobile-less day would drive me insane. I can’t remember the last time I switched my mobile phone off, and I have a bout of mental hang ups any time I realize I am without my phone for more than an hour. I’m quite sure that I’m not alone, and such fear has a name: it’s called nomophobia.

An abbreviation of the term “no-mobile-phone” phobia, users who experience uneasiness whenever their mobile phones run out of batteries or credits, have no network coverage or lost their handsets. And anxiety is on the rise, making it a widespread (and weird) phobia reflective of today’s culture. In a study conducted to over 1,000 UK respondents, more than 60% worry about losing personal contacts or losing the mobile device itself. When asked which items in their mobile phones they treasure the most, 35% said their personal contacts and close behind at 32% are photos. Around 9% keeps text and voice messages sacred.

Kevin Mahaffey, co-Founder and CTO at Lookout Mobile Security shares insights on what could have triggered these numbers:

“It goes back to how the current generation uses their phones. It’s our lifeline to the outer world and a house for our personal content. Losing our phone now is a lot more significant than in earlier years when our phones were just meant for talk and text. Our phone might hold a special memory – like video of your child’s first step, or sensitive financial content, like your banking information, so losing a phone isn’t an option and the thought of it alone generates anxiety.”

The study also showed that security is a facet that is taken for granted by almost 60% of the surveyed audience.  Although more than half feared being hacked, only 4 out of 10 have a PIN or passcode for accessing the device. In addition, a Lookout study released in the latter part of 2011 revealed that 46% of the participants said that their mobile phone is their most important gadget in their possession. Nearly 22% cited laptops and tablets, while 18% favored cars.

Even if it is not as handy, I will probably grab my mobile phone first should I ever have to escape a burning building. I belong to the 33% percent of the group that feels the same way. Some would first save their laptops or tablets, photo albums and important keys, but the numbers continue to lean towards a smartphone affinity. More or less, 15% said they could not survive a day at all should their phones be lost or stolen. These gadgets are also treated as security blankets, with 60% testifying that they feel relatively safe and connected when they have their mobile phones, while phonelessness will leave more than half of the population anxious and frustrated.

When I first got my iPhone, I didn’t know it was going to be an extension of my life, literally.  The content of my phone represents more than three quarters of who I am and what I do. Without it, I feel naked. It’s like going into battle with a hollowed arsenal. The reasons vary from business needs, personal, social and education.

With the proliferation of mobile devices and the business that surround it, our attachment to gadgets only continues to grow.  But is there a cure for nomophobia?