Non Traditional lifestyle and Stress

Technology has empowered our lives everywhere. Mobile phone are the most important and essential part of our day to day life. Traditionally mobile phones were considered as the tool for communication but due to technological up gradation and smart phone invasions mobile phones have been used now a day’s not just for communication but it’s now majorly used as checking emails, shopping online ,accessing news ,downloading music and movies ,engaging self on social networking sites and many more. Every individual is now literally carrying internet in their pocket .Such use of technology has shifted the lifestyle from traditional to non traditional.

Some identifiable stressors are follows:

·         Perpetual Distraction: A study in UK has shown that smart phone user on an average 80-85 times unlocks their phones to check messages and other works. This study can be backed up by the fact that due to high use of technology and smart phones the cognitive skills such as attention, memory and learning has been retarded.

·         Sleep Dysfunction: due to excessive usage of phone and technology has interrupted the circadian rhythm (i.e. sleep-walking cycles) .Poor sleep and its disorders results in poor resilience and higher levels of anxiety and stress.

·         F.O.M.O: (Fear Of Missing Out) A new kind of behavioural disorder has been seen to arise among youngster now a days due to increase in technological interventions this is the fear of missing out on something ; whether it is an event or some post of friends on social networking sites. The more an individual is connected, the more likely is the experience of FOMO.

·         Social Comparison: The social comparison theory suggests that individual’s thought process is governed by social comparison. Social Media, by its nature, actively encourages social comparison, as it is littered with information that can easily be used as metrics of apparent social success (e.g. friends, likes, shares, followers and so forth). 

Dr.Manisha Gupta

Assistant Professor

Department of Management Studies