What is technostress Causes Symptoms and Types How to prevent

The English word “technostress”, coined in 1984 by Craig Brod, is understood as a stress syndrome caused by new technologies . In other words, technostress is the response that the individual manifests when having to manage the most complex form of knowledge and the large amount of information that new technologies offer, such as cell phones or computers.

Stress manifests itself when a person must endure prolonged exposure to intense pressure. Thus, when this pressure becomes excessive, both in intensity and duration, the individual may manifest a condition of stress , often accompanied by physical, psychological or social disorders or disorders.

In this sense, technostress or technological stress is a form of stress caused by the excessive, excessive and dysfunctional use of modern technologies, with significant impacts on the individual’s social and professional life. Therefore, we could relate the main causes of technostress to:

• Management of a large volume of information.
• Excessive use of technological devices.
• Haste in the execution of operations.

Another aspect that can influence the appearance of this pathology can be the posture or the work modalities , such as smart working , which make technology their main tool.

What causes technostress? The main symptoms of technological stress can be divided into two macrogroups:

• Physical symptoms : among them, we can find insomnia and sleep-wake rhythm disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, headache, chronic fatigue, increased heart rate, cardiovascular disorders, tingling in the extremities, sweating, neck pain, hormonal and menstrual disorders in women or stress-related skin disorders such as psoriasis or dermatitis.
• Mental or psychic symptoms (behavioral and cognitive): irritation, depression, changes in behavior, decreased sexual desire, crying spells or apathy.

However, we must bear in mind that the symptomatology of technostress has a subjective character. In fact, on many occasions, the syndrome is not easily identified and runs the risk of degenerating until it becomes a strong or total impediment in the development of daily activities and in the relational sphere.

Exposure to technostress can cause some diseases, which are manifested through recognizable symptoms and effects at various levels, causing different pathologies and disorders.

• Subjective : apathy, irritation, frustration, guilt, sadness, depression, panic attacks, euphoria, anxiety, fatigue.
• Behavioral : eating disorders, alcohol and drug use, excitability, restlessness, difficulty speaking, temper tantrums , decreased libido, impatience with other people, aggression, including passivity, tendency to withdraw, inability to act.
• Cognitive : Difficulty performing tasks, decision-making dysfunction, deficits in attention and concentration, reduced and lost effectiveness, difficulty working in a team, mild amnesia, decreased intellectual functioning, increased sensitivity to criticism, distortions and misunderstandings of situations.
• Physiological : hypertension, cardiovascular disorders, migraines, excessive sweating, dry mouth, difficulty breathing, dizziness, headache, tingling in the extremities, back and chest pain, sleep disorders, chronic fatigue, mental fatigue and gastrointestinal disorders.
• Organizational : absenteeism, low productivity, high accident rate, antagonism in the workplace, dissatisfaction, delay and malfunction in productive, organizational and management processes.

As countless researches on the subject demonstrate, the effects of technostress can seriously affect a person’s physical and psychological plane, as well as causing enormous productive, organizational and economic damage to companies. For this reason, it is important to prevent technological stress and related manifestations.

Primary intervention measures to prevent technostress can develop at two levels :

• Individual level : allows the worker to implement behaviors to change the situation (problem solving strategies).
• Organizational level : decreasing the number of requests made to workers and implementing technical support and training on correct use.

How to deal with technostress

Meditation is one of the most effective ways to prevent and combat technostress. The meditation-induced state of consciousness helps to reduce limbic system activity , which will mitigate emotions and, as a consequence, stress.

Therefore, companies and their employees could intervene with practices such as meditation, physical activity, regenerative rest, holistic disciplines, yoga or other relaxation techniques such as autogenic training. These techniques slow down our thoughts and “soothe and cool” our brains.

In this way, it is essential that training be carried out that makes it possible to raise awareness of the problems that can generate the excess of new technologies in our lives.