Smartphone usage has rapidly increased worldwide over the past decade. The “We Are Social Digital Report” of 2020 revealed that the global number of mobile phone users reached 5.19 billion; 70% of these are smartphone users. The daily use of smartphones has increased rapidly worldwide to such an extent that people use these to share information, hobbies, or interests and establish and maintain social relationships. Now for modern people, smartphones have become more than just a device but an object of obsession for many, potentially leading to an enhancement of the compulsive and disregulated use of smartphone (also kwnown as smartphone addiction). However, the phenomenon of object addiction can go beyond the problem of the object itself, varying according to psychological characteristics. In particular, specific personality traits seem to be more prone to developing technological addictions. For instance, previous research indicated that narcissism plays a critical role in technological addictions. However, the mechanims involved in this association remain under-explored. The current research aimed to address the relationship beteween narcissism and smartphone addiction, also exploring the potential involvement of need for touch, which reflects the need to touch obejcts and desiring haptic information through the hands. 300 individuals (M = 20.99, SD = 3.12, 50% F) were requested to completed a short battery of questionnaire entailing the Narcissistic Personality Inventory-13 (NPI-3,) the Need for Touch Scale (NTS), and Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV). Results revealed that need for touch plays a mediating role in the association beween narcissiam and smartphone addiction (B = 0.03, SE = 0.01, 95% CI [0.006, 0.048]), providing an essential contribution to explain the complexity of the interplay between narcissism and the cumpulsive and unregulated use of smartphone. Notably, the phenomenon of need for touch is often explored in marketing psychology. However, results stressed the idea that it should be further considered in the context of clinical psychology. Moreover, these findings imply that in order to comprehend and effectively address smartphone addiction, it is crucial to consider not only personality dispositions but also individuals' need to haptically engage with their smartphones.
Do not touch my smartphone! The mediating role of need for touch in the association between narcissism and smartphone addiction
Matteo Perazzini
;Danilo Bontempo;Marco Giancola.
2025-01-01
Abstract
Smartphone usage has rapidly increased worldwide over the past decade. The “We Are Social Digital Report” of 2020 revealed that the global number of mobile phone users reached 5.19 billion; 70% of these are smartphone users. The daily use of smartphones has increased rapidly worldwide to such an extent that people use these to share information, hobbies, or interests and establish and maintain social relationships. Now for modern people, smartphones have become more than just a device but an object of obsession for many, potentially leading to an enhancement of the compulsive and disregulated use of smartphone (also kwnown as smartphone addiction). However, the phenomenon of object addiction can go beyond the problem of the object itself, varying according to psychological characteristics. In particular, specific personality traits seem to be more prone to developing technological addictions. For instance, previous research indicated that narcissism plays a critical role in technological addictions. However, the mechanims involved in this association remain under-explored. The current research aimed to address the relationship beteween narcissism and smartphone addiction, also exploring the potential involvement of need for touch, which reflects the need to touch obejcts and desiring haptic information through the hands. 300 individuals (M = 20.99, SD = 3.12, 50% F) were requested to completed a short battery of questionnaire entailing the Narcissistic Personality Inventory-13 (NPI-3,) the Need for Touch Scale (NTS), and Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV). Results revealed that need for touch plays a mediating role in the association beween narcissiam and smartphone addiction (B = 0.03, SE = 0.01, 95% CI [0.006, 0.048]), providing an essential contribution to explain the complexity of the interplay between narcissism and the cumpulsive and unregulated use of smartphone. Notably, the phenomenon of need for touch is often explored in marketing psychology. However, results stressed the idea that it should be further considered in the context of clinical psychology. Moreover, these findings imply that in order to comprehend and effectively address smartphone addiction, it is crucial to consider not only personality dispositions but also individuals' need to haptically engage with their smartphones.Pubblicazioni consigliate
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