Phubbing linked to emotional disconnection in relationships.
Feeling ignored by your partner due to phone use? It might be harming your relationship.
Why it matters
- Phubbing can lead to emotional disconnection and lower relationship satisfaction.
- Understanding this behavior can help couples foster greater connection.
By the numbers
- Study included 51 couples (102 individuals).
- Conducted during the early months of the pandemic (April-September 2020).
The big picture
- Phubbing is linked to feelings of affection deprivation.
- Emotional disconnection can ripple across the relationship, affecting both individuals.
What they're saying
- Some users are skeptical about the term "phubbing".
- Others share personal anecdotes about how phone use affects their relationships.
Caveats
- Data collected at a single point in time, so cause and effect can't be definitively determined.
- Possible that lower relationship satisfaction leads to more phubbing rather than the other way around.
What’s next
- Future research could collect data over time or conduct experiments where phone use is manipulated.
- Researchers could examine how conversations about phone use might help reduce feelings of emotional neglect.