Text addiction pushes some buttons

The text big thing?

There will be plenty of people who roll their eyes at the thought of the overuse of text messaging being considered an addiction, as reported in 7DAYS on Sunday.

This is understandable as we live in a world that is obsessed with labelling behaviour.

However, it is worth giving the concept of text addiction a little more thought. Consider, for example, gambling addicts. Their addiction is not about  winning or losing money. Being desperate for money is not addiction.

Instead a gambler becomes addicted to the feeling he gets when he wins. To put it simply, he feels like a winner and he wants, and later on needs, to feel that way again, so he makes another bet, regardless of the consequences. A man of science could even explain the chemical reactions involved.

So, if look at text addiction in the same way, is it not possible that the positive emotions you feel when you receive a message - that you are wanted, needed, loved - could become an addiction too, at least for some people?

I'm not saying that insurance companies should be adding it to their coverage as a matter of urgency, but it is certainly a theory worth exploring.

Simon Pluckrose is Head of News at Al Sidra Media LLC, publisher of 7DAYS, 7daysindubai.com and 7daysinabudhabi.com