Daniel Kruger from University of Michigan in the US said his findings may add to the body of research used to support the inclusion of mobile phone or technology addiction.
"When people have addictions, there is a phenomenon in which they are hypersensitive to stimuli associated with a rewarding stimulus," said Kruger.
"This study provides some real insight and maybe some evidence that people can have a real dependency on cell phone use," Kruger added.
The study participants first completed the Ten Item Personality Inventory, which assesses personality characteristics - openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and emotional stability or neuroticism.
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They were then asked if they had experienced phantom ringing, vibrations or notifications from their phones.
If they answered yes, they recorded how frequently they had experienced the phantom alerts.
The participants also responded to statements from a survey called the Mobile Phone Problem Use Scale, including whether the students used their phones to make themselves feel better, to talk to others when feeling isolated, and if they felt anxious when forced to turn off their phones.
The study was published in the journal Computers in Human Behaviour.
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