Stress and anxiety caused by the use of the phone revealed in the new study by Tel Aviv Uni

Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger of the Faculty of Dental Medicine at the University of Tel Aviv conducted a new study claiming that excessive time spent on social media or on the phone increases the chance of pain in the jaw and muscles of the mouth, gnashing of teeth, trouble sleeping, fatigue and drowsiness during the day. About 600 participants took part in the study, which included secular Jews (mostly smartphone users) and a group of ultra-Orthodox people (those who use a phone without an internet connection). Participants were asked about feelings of stress and tension throughout the day, tendency to wake up at night, need to be available for cell phones, teeth grinding and jaw pain. Studies have found that 54% of secular smartphone users occasionally wake up in the middle of the night, compared with 20% of the ultra-Orthodox population. In addition, half of secular respondents (50%) feel a moderate to high level of stress due to the cell phone, compared to just 22% among ultra-orthodox.Dr. Pessia Friedman-Rubin and Profa. Ilana Eli, who helped to conduct the study, explain that “These days people live with a feeling of FOMO (fear of losing) and that is why they want to be constantly updated and to know ‘what’s new’ every moment. This need naturally creates an increasing dependence on cell phones, which leads to feelings of stress and anxiety – ‘someone can write something on social media, and I will lose and I will not be inside’ ”. Other reports confirm that “a mental health pandemic of depression, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress and even suicide” are among the side effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman contributed to this report.