Keywords:
smartphone separation anxiety
divergent thinking
post-millenial youthz
emotional intelligence
self-regulation

  • Abstract

    Generation Z’s pervasive integration with mobile technology has raised concern about nomophobia, an anxiety related to being without a smartphone or losing connectivity, and its implications for higher-order cognition. Although the psychological correlates of nomophobia are widely documented, evidence on its relationship with creativity remains theoretically fragmented and empirically mixed. This systematic literature review synthesises peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2025 to clarify whether nomophobia predominantly inhibits or facilitates creativity in Generation Z. This research follows PRISMA 2020 guidelines and conducts searches in Scopus and PubMed, supplemented by Crossref, Semantic Scholar, and Google Scholar, yielding 1,858 records. After deduplication, screening, and quality appraisal using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool, 20 studies were included. Most studies employed cross-sectional correlational designs (60%). The reported effect sizes were standardised to Cohen’s d, indicating typically moderate to significant effects (mean d approximately 0.67) with apparent contextual heterogeneity. The dominant pattern linked nomophobia with anxiety and stress, diminished attentional control, and poorer creative performance, consistent with disruption of divergent thinking and creative incubation. In contrast, a smaller set of studies reported context-dependent facilitative associations in digitally mediated settings, where intensive device engagement coincided with greater creative fluency and rapid idea recombination. Emotional intelligence and self-regulation emerged as recurring moderators shaping the direction and strength of these relationships. Overall, the evidence supports a dual pathway account in which nomophobia more often constrains creativity through cognitive overload, yet under effective emotion regulation, it may coincide with externally scaffolded digital ideation. These findings highlight the value of digital resilience interventions to protect creative capacity in increasingly hyperconnected environments.

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Krisnanda, V. D., Setyosari, P., Ramli, M., Setiyowati, A. J., & Aminah, S. (2026). The impact of nomophobia on generation Z’s creative potential in the digital era: A systematic literature review. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 9(11), 2026558. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2026558
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