我对于智能手机所提供的连接与方便所感到的感激，可能算作一个病态。是的，根据最近的一项调查，我可能患有一个叫做“无手机恐惧症”(nomophobia)的疾患，意思是，当我不能持有或利用我的智能手机的时候，我就会焦虑、恐惧、感到压力。

　　A few weeks ago I went to the local post office, unsurprisingly finding myself at the tail end of a very long line – with only one window open for business. I needed to send a package via USPS to Europe, and it needed to happen that day, so I took a deep breath and resigned myself to a 30-minute wait. But instead of huffing and harrumphing my way through an interminable half hour, I simply pulled out my trusty smartphone and got busy. First I answered a couple of text messages, then I tackled my perpetually overflowing email inbox, and finally I opened up Facebook and caught up on the latest from family and friends. So instead of a stressful, anxious, anger-inducing thirty minutes, I had a productive (and even slightly enjoyable) half hour – all thanks to my phone.

　　几个星期以前，我去了一趟邮局，不出奇地排在很长的一条人龙的末端，而且只有一个窗口开着营业。我需要通过美国邮政服务(USPS)邮寄一个包裹到欧洲，而且当天就要寄出，所以深深吸了一口气，认命地接受我必须等30分钟的事实。但是，我并没有埋怨地度过这半个小时，我只是把我那可靠的智能手机拉出来，就开始忙起来了。首先，我答复了几个简讯，然后处理了总是爆满的电邮收件箱，最后我登录了Facebook，看到了家人和朋友的最新消息。所以，我不但没有经历充满压力、焦虑或愤怒的30分钟，反而度过了富有成效(甚至有些许好玩)的半小时，这多亏了我的手机。

　　Is it any wonder that each day, bore I leave the house, I check for three things – my wallet, my keys, and my phone? Honestly, I’m as likely to leave the house without one of these items as without my pants, and I’d feel just as naked if I did. And frankly, I never thought much about this behavior, as these items are simply my “away from home” necessities, helping me to deal with life as life happens regardless of where I am by providing me with money, access to important places, information, interpersonal connection, entertainment and more. With these three items (and my pants), I can survive and even thrive pretty much anywhere, for any length of time.

　　这也难怪，我在离开家之前会先检查是否带了三样东西：钱包、钥匙、手机。说真的，我没带任何一样就离开家，就和没穿裤子一样罕见，而且若是没有带任何一样的话，感觉就会像没穿裤子一样赤裸裸。坦白说，我从没真正想过这种行为，因为这些东西只是我出门的必需品，不管我人在哪里，它们都会为我提供钱、重要地方的访问权、信息、人际联系、娱乐、还有更多，从而帮助我应付生活中的大小事。有了这三样东西(加上我的裤子)，我不管多长的时间，都可以几乎在哪里都能生存，甚至兴盛。

　　Now, however, I’m hearing that my appreciation of the connection and conveniences offered by my smartphone might qualify as a pathology. That’s right folks, according to a recent study (link is external), I may have a disorder called nomophobia (link is external), which means that I get anxious, fearful and stressed out if and when I’m unable to access or use my smartphone. As yet, no word from researchers about my obsessive need for wallet and keys.

　　不过，现在我听说，我对于智能手机所提供的连接与方便所感到的感激，可能算作一个病态。是的，根据最近的一项调查，我可能患有一个叫做“无手机恐惧症”(nomophobia)的疾患，意思是，当我不能持有或利用我的智能手机的时候，我就会焦虑、恐惧、感到压力。至今，研究人员倒没有提及我对钱包和钥匙的强迫性的需要。

　　In case you’re wondering, the term nomophobia (a compressed version of “no mobile phone phobia”) was coined in a 2008 UK study which found that 53% of mobile phone users experience anxiety when unable to use their device. (link is external) And now we have the more recent study mentioned above, which has attempted to quantify nomophobia for purposes of diagnosis. In this study, researchers talked to undergraduate collegians about smartphone usage, using the students’ responses to create a 20-item nomophobia questionnaire, which reads as follows:

　　若你还没听说的话，“nomophobia”(“no mobile phone phobia”的缩写)这个术语是在2008年的一项英国的调查中创造的。这项调查发现，53%的手机用户在无法使用他们的手机的时候，就会感觉到焦虑。还有之前提到的比较近期的调查，它尝试为了诊断无手机恐惧症而进行定量。在这项调查中，研究人员和大学生谈论关于智能手机的使用，并利用它们的答复，整理出一份20题无手机恐惧症调查问卷，项目如下：

　　1.I would feel uncomfortable without constant access to information through my smartphone.

　　1.如果没有通过智能手机不断读取信息，我就会感到不舒服。

　　2.I would be annoyed if I could not look information up on my smartphone when I wanted to do so.

　　2.如果想在智能手机上查找资讯，但是无法做到，我会感到懊恼。

　　3.Being unable to get the news (e.g., happenings, weather, etc.) on my smartphone would make me nervous.

　　3.如果无法看到新闻(如即时消息、天气等)，会让我感到紧张。

　　4.I would be annoyed if I could not use my smartphone and/or its capabilities when I wanted to do so.

　　4.如果想使用我的智能手机和/或其功能，但是无法做到，我会很懊恼。

　　5.I would be annoyed if I could not use my smartphone and/or its capabilities when I wanted to do so.

　　5.智能手机电池用尽，会让我吓坏。

　　6.If I were to run out of credits or hit my monthly data limit, I would panic.

　　6.如果充值用尽，或者每月数据用量顶限已达到，我会恐慌。

　　7.If I did not have a data signal or could not connect to Wi-Fi, then I would constantly check to see if I had a signal or could find a Wi-Fi network.

　　7.如果没有数据信号，或者无法连接无线上网，我就会不断检查是否有信号或者是否有无线上网网络。

　　8.If I could not use my smartphone, I would be afraid of getting stranded somewhere.

　　8.如果不能使用智能手机，我就会害怕被滞留在某个地方。

　　9.If I could not check my smartphone for a while, I would feel a desire to check it.

　　9.如果我有一段时间没有查看智能手机，我会产生查看它的欲望。

　　If I did not have my smartphone with me:

　　如果我身上没带智能手机：

　　1.I would feel anxious because I could not instantly communicate with my family and/or friends.

　　1.我会感到焦虑，因为我无法即时和家人和/或朋友沟通。

　　2.I would be worried because my family and/or friends could not reach me.

　　2.我会担心，因为我的家人和/或朋友无法联络我。

　　3.I would feel nervous because I would not be able to receive text messages and calls.

　　3.我会感到紧张，因为我无法收到简讯和电话。

　　4.I would be anxious because I could not keep in touch with my family and/or friends.

　　4.我会焦虑，因为我无法和家人和/或朋友保持联系。

　　5.I would be nervous because I could not know if someone had tried to get a hold of me.

　　5.我会紧张，因为我不会知道是否有人曾尝试联络我。

　　6.I would feel anxious because my constant connection to my family and friends would be broken.

　　6.我会感到焦虑，因为我跟家人和朋友的持续连接就会断掉。

　　7.I would be nervous because I would be disconnected from my online identity.

　　7.我会紧张，因为我会从我的在线身份断开。

　　8.I would be uncomfortable because I could not stay up-to-date with social media and online networks.

　　8.我会不舒服，因为我不能得到社交媒体和线上网络上的最新消息。

　　9.I would feel awkward because I could not check my notifications for updates from my connections and online networks.

　　9.我会感到尴尬，因为我不能查看我的联系和线上网络的更澳际知。

　　10.I would feel anxious because I could not check my email messages.

　　10.我会感到焦虑，因为我不能检查我的电邮。

　　11.I would feel weird because I would not know what to do.

　　11.我会感到怪异，因为我不会知道该怎么做。

　　Test takers are asked to rate each item on a scale of 1 (completely disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). Then their score is added up. Those who score 20 are not nomophobic; 21 to 60 indicates mild nomophobia; 61 to 100 indicates moderate nomophobia; and 101 or above indicates severe nomophobia.

　　参与者会被指示将每个项目评分，1代表“完全不同意”，7代表“完全同意”。总分20分为没有无手机恐惧症，21至60分代表轻微无手机恐惧症，61至100分代表中度无手机恐惧症，101分以上代表严重无手机恐惧症。

　　Interestingly, the existing research into nomophobia, including the studies cited above, seem to think that experiencing anxiety is the sole requirement for a pathological phobia. This is not in fact the case. If it was, being low on gas while driving would also be, for me, a pathological phobia, as would dirty dishes in the sink, people who don’t bag their dog’s poop, venomous snakes, driving on LA freeways at rush hour, and a whole lot of other things – many of which I encounter almost daily. And that would suggest that I probably need several years of deep psychoanalysis with a strict Freudian. Or perhaps a pill of some sort.

　　有趣的是，现有的有关无手机恐惧症的研究，包括以上所提及的研究，似乎认为焦虑是病态恐惧症的唯一需求，实则不然。如果是的话，那驾车时汽油用尽，对我来说也会是病态恐惧症;洗涤盆里有肮脏碗碟、不捡他们的狗的粪便的人、毒蛇、繁忙时间在洛杉矶的高速公路上驾车、还有一大堆东西，都是我几乎每天遇到的事，都会属于病态恐惧症。这就会意味着，我可能用得着和一位严谨的弗洛伊德派治疗师进行几年的深度精神分析。或者是要吃某种药了。

　　In truth, the Henny Pennies squawking about nomophobia have overstated the issue, labeling the perfectly normal (even expected) experience of occasional, situationally driven anxiety as a phobia. Put simply, these researchers (and the media that have gleully hopped on their bandwagon) are either unaware of or choosing to ignore the fact that among the key diagnostic criteria for specific phobias (link is external) is that the fear, anxiety or avoidance is both persistent (lasting six months or more) and causing clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of life. In other words, the acute short-term anxiety that I feel when driving through the canyon near my house where cell phone reception goes haywire does not qualify as pathological. Nor does my “need” to carry my fully charged iPhone whenever I leave the house.

　　实际上，那些因为无手机恐惧症而嚷着的那些歇斯底里的人，可能是夸大其词了。他们将很正常的(甚至可称为预期的)偶然、情境驱动的焦虑标签为恐惧症。简单地说，这些研究人员(还有那些乐于顺水推舟的媒体)不是不晓得，就是选择忽视了这一点：特殊恐惧症的主要诊断标准，包括了恐惧、焦虑或躲避持续六个月或以上，以及它造成社交、职业或其他重要生活方面上临床上显著的干扰或障碍。换言之，我驾车经过离家附近的峡谷，手机讯号失控的时候感到急性短期的焦虑，不属于病态。我“必须”携带电池充满的iPhone 才能离家，也不属于病态。

　　Nevertheless, there are almost certainly individuals who do consistently experience clinically significant symptoms related to their smartphone obsession. These are the people who take their phones to bed with them, waking up multiple times per night to check for texts, emails, social media updates, etc. And when they’re in social settings in which they must silence or turn off their phones (church, weddings, funerals, movies, airplanes and the like), their anxiety levels skyrocket. They simply cannot stand this loss of connectedness, even for a few moments, and because they are overly focused on their smartphones they tend to struggle with work, school, real world relationships, etc. So for them, the fear of not being able to access or use their smartphone may indeed be pathological.

　　尽管如此，有些人确实会经常感受到跟他们沉迷于智能手机有关的临床上显著的症状。这包括了那些带着手机上床睡觉、晚上醒来几次查看简讯、电邮、社交媒体更新等的人。当他们处在必须关掉手机或将之调至无声状态的社交场合(如教堂、婚礼、葬礼、电影、飞机等等)中的时候，他们的焦虑程度会飙升。他们简直不能忍受失去连接，就算是片刻也不行。他们也因为太过专注于他们的智能手机，所以往往会因为工作、学业、人际关系等等而挣扎。对他们来说，无法持有或使用他们的智能手机的恐惧，可能真的是病态的。

　　There are also individuals who check and/or use their phones obsessively in service of a compulsion or an addiction (link is external) – video gaming, gambling, shopping, pornography, sexual hookups, romantic relationships, etc. However, it is not the phone to which the person is addicted, it’s the behavior. The phone is merely a means to an end.

　　有些人也因为要满足某个强迫或成瘾(如电子游戏、赌博、购物、色情、交炮友、恋爱关系等等)而查看或使用手机。但是，他们不是对手机成瘾，而是对他们个别的行为成瘾。手机只是达到目的的工具。

　　It is important to state here that the people who struggle with their smartphones are only a small percentage of users, regardless of whether those struggles are nomophobic or related to a compulsion/addiction. So, just as most people who drink alcohol (even to excess on occasion) do not qualify as alcoholic, most people who use smartphones (even to excess on occasion) do not do so pathologically. Furthermore, the people who tend to struggle with digital technologies are the people who tend to struggle emotionally and psychologically no matter what – usually thanks to a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental circumstances. In other words, the people who are truly nomophobic or who use their smartphones in service of a compulsion or an addiction are the people who are likely to struggle in life regardless of the technological age in which they live. With or without smartphones, they will have problems.

　　这里有个重要的一点，就是那些因为智能手机而挣扎的人，只是所有用户的一小比例，不管他们的挣扎是因为无手机恐惧症，或者和强迫或成瘾有关。因此，就如大多数饮用酒精的人(即使有时会饮用过量)不算为酗酒，大多数使用智能手机的人(即使有时会使用过量)也不是病态地使用智能手机。况且，那些倾向因为数码科技而挣扎的人，就是那些不管什么场合都会在情感上和心理上挣扎的人。这可怪罪于基因倾向和环境状况的某种组合。换言之，那些真正无手机恐惧症的患者，或者利用手机满足强迫或成瘾的人，往往就是那些不管活在什么科技年代都会在生活中挣扎的人。不管有没有智能手机，他们也会面对问题。

　　For everyone else, smartphones are a technology that generally makes life better rather than worse. They enable us to stay connected, to access information, to remain productive, and to entertain ourselves in ways that weren’t possible just a few short years ago. They let us check in with our loved ones whenever we’d like. They keep our kids occupied on long car rides. They let us warn people half a world away that our plane is delayed and they needn’t wait for us at the airport until we call them to say we’ve finally touched down. And yes, they can turn an intolerable wait at the post office into a productive half hour. Knowing this, it seems to me that it is perfectly reasonable and absolutely not pathological to experience a modicum of stress and/or anxiety when these conveniences are suddenly unavailable.

　　对其他人来说，智能手机的科技一般上对生活的品质利多于弊。它以短短几年前还不可能的方式，让我们保持联系、读取信息、保持成效、娱乐自己。它在车程长的时候让孩子们忙着。它让我们能通知世界另一边的人，说我们的飞机延误，不需要在机场等我们，直到我们打电话告诉他们说我们终于到达为止。是的，它也可以让邮局的一次不能忍受的等待，变成了富有成效的半小时。由此看来，对我来说，在这些方便突然不见的时候，感受到一丁点的压力或焦虑，完全合理，也绝对不病态。

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