Friday Funny: The “Low Battery Anxiety” Epidemic

Have you ever ordered something at a bar just so you can ask to plug in your phone? Do you argue with loved ones because your phone died and you missed their calls or texts? Are you regularly accused of secretly “borrowing” someone else’s charger?

low battery anxiety
Click image to enlarge. 62% of millennials (aged 18-29) will take a break from posting selfies on Instagram, logging into Twitter or updating their status on Facebook if it means they will get a few extra hours of battery life on their smartphone. (PRNewsFoto/LG Electronics USA)

If so, you may be among the many suffering from “Low Battery Anxiety.”

Although not a real illness or anxiety disorder, LG has coined the term “Low Battery Anxiety” to describe the behavior of people who are changing their everyday lives – just to accommodate their dying phone batteries. The company recently surveyed thousands of people and found that nearly nine out of 10 people “felt panic” when their phone battery drops to 20 percent or lower.

How can you tell if you are suffering from Low Battery Anxiety? Symptoms exhibited by those surveyed included:

  1. Asking a total stranger to charge their smartphone
  2. Arguing with a significant other or romantic interest because of unanswered calls or texts
  3. Ordering something at a bar or restaurant just to use their power outlet
  4. Secretly “borrowing” someone else’s charger
  5. Owning three or more smartphone charging cables

The Impact Of Low Battery Anxiety

When it comes to choosing between hitting the gym or charging their smartphone, one in three people are likely to skip the gym, according to LG’s survey. But when it comes to millennials, the symptoms are even more severe – with 42 percent likely to skip the gym when choosing between working out or charging their phone.

It doesn’t end there: When faced with a dying battery, smartphone users will “drop everything” (32 percent) and make a U-turn to head back home to charge their phone. And, one in three people have gotten into an argument with a significant other or romantic interest as a result of unanswered calls or texts because their smartphone was dead.

Luckily, LG has come up with a solution: The company has made it easy to counter Low Battery Anxiety by including a removable battery in its latest LG G5 smartphone. Visit LG’s website for more information on Low Battery Anxiety, including some funny videos about the “affliction.”