Ever felt unhappy when your significant other is checking his or her phone while you’re together? There’s a new research that shows you’re not alone.
Ever felt unhappy when your significant other is checking his or her phone while you’re together? There’s a new research that shows you’re not alone.
Phubbing or partner phone snubbing is a major issue in the majority of relationships it seems. The research, conducted by Meredith David, an assistant professor of marketing with the Baylor University and professor of marketing James Roberts surveyed over 500 participants to understand how the use of phones is affecting their relationships.
Not surprisingly, constantly turning to one’s phone is detrimental not only to romantic relationships, but to family ties and friendships as well. The first survey conducted as part of the research included 308 adults and looked specifically at how their use of phones led to partner phubbing. After all, those beaming notifications can’t go unattended for too long, can they?
What did the researchers find? Exactly what you would expect. Turning your glance to the temptation of the upside placed phone screen is annoying your partner. Even more so when instead of fueling a conversation that’s lulling, one partner uses the convenient time to check emails, Facebook, chats, texts and so on.
A second survey tried to understand how people feel about being phubbed. According to the results published in the Computers in Human Behavior journal, 46.3 percent of the participants stated loud and clear that they feel they’re being phubbed. 36.6 percent of the participants stated that phubbing left them depressed at least once. And 22.6 percent admitted phubbing caused problems in paradise.
We might not be doing this intentionally or even consciously. It might be a habit that is simply difficult to kick. However, compulsively using our phones even in the presence of our loved ones, be they family or our partners is triggering serious concerns and issues in our everyday relationships.
Many of the participants in the study reported lower quality time spent with their partners due to phubbing. Lower quality time translated into lower quality of life and unhappiness. Which leads up to higher rates of depression. It might seem far-fetched, but yes, too much phone time in the detriment of actual face time may lead to depression. And not only for the partner who reports feeling phubbed.
It’s high time we all consider some hygiene when it come to using our phones and take advice from the specialists. Turn off notifications, place the phone face down if it really needs to be placed anywhere else then in the purse or pocket while you’re enjoying a dinner with your partner, log off email addresses and stop thinking about that new board on Pinterest. It can wait!
The study is aptly called “My life has become a major distraction from my cell phone: Partner phubbing and relationship satisfaction among romantic partners”. Check it!
Photo Credits: goodhousekeeping.co.uk
