Abstract

Smartphones have integrated into humans’ everyday lives and can act as tools for emotional regulation during moments of social discomfort. Taking from attachment theory and cognitive social anxiety models, this study investigated whether smartphone use functions as a safety behavior (a coping mechanism providing short-term relief but long-term anxiety maintenance). It was hypothesized that high levels of social anxiety would predict a greater likelihood of using a smartphone as a safety behavior in socially uncomfortable scenarios, and nomophobia (fear of missing phone) and public self-consciousness (awareness of social evaluation) would moderate this relationship. Participants (N = 54) recruited from CloudResearch and The College of Wooster’s SONA System completed self-report measures assessing social anxiety (fear and avoidance), nomophobia, and public self-consciousness. Hierarchical regression analyses supported the primary hypothesis that both social fear (β = .43, p < .001) and social avoidance (β = .29, p = .003) significantly predicted smartphone safety behavior likelihood. Additionally, nomophobia was a significant independent predictor of smartphone reliance (β = .53 to .63, p < .001). No significant moderation effects were discovered for nomophobia or public selfconsciousness, suggesting that these factors act as parallel drivers rather than amplifiers of the anxiety-behavior link. These findings suggest that for socially anxious individuals, the smartphone serves as an escape from perceived evaluative threat. For those high in nomophobia, it functions as an attachment object for maintaining psychological equilibrium. The study highlights the role of the smartphone as a safety behavior that may reinforce social fears by preventing social disconfirmation.

Advisor

Chen, Peiyao

Department

Psychology

Keywords

Social anxiety, safety behavior, nomophobia, smartphone use, attachment theory, public self-consciousness

Publication Date

2026

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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