Roberts told Today “What we found, not surprisingly, when people perceive their partners to be phubbers – they spend more time paying attention to their (phones) – that created conflict in the relationship”.
Advertisement
While most agreed that it wasn’t a problem as long as the phubbing didn’t last for long, 36.6% said it “depressed” them.
Pphubbing was described in the study as the extent to which people use or are distracted by their cellphones while in the company of their relationship partners.
People often assume that brief cellphone distractions are no big deal, but the survey indicates that’s not so, study co-author Meredith David, an assistant professor of marketing, said in the news release. This was done, in part, by asking those surveyed to respond to the nine-item scale developed in the first survey. Just ask yourself, how many times have you and your significant other had arguments over the fact that you can’t keep your eyes off your phone for an entire dinner or movie-or vice versa?
To accurately measure the results, the researchers distributed a Phubbing Scale, which contain statements like “my partner places his or her cell phone where they can see it when we are together” and “my partner glances at his/her cell phone when talking to me”.
If there is a lull in our conversation, my partner will check his or her cellphone.
The second survey was given to romantic couples based on the Pphubbing scale.
Cellphones are damaging romantic relationships and leading to higher levels of depression, a new United States study has claimed. StopPhubbing.com, a tongue-in-cheek website devoted to spreading awareness about the behavior – they report that “if phubbing were a plague it would decimate 6 Chinas – features a spot where you can upload images of your friends phubbing, called “The Phubbing Hall of Shame”.
It measured Pphubbing effects on romantic couples. This leads to a much lower sense of self esteem which can, eventually, spiral down the deep and dark hole of depression.
Almost 37 percent said they feel depressed at least a few of the time.
Doctor James A. Roberts has stated that most collected answers indicated respondents were annoyed when their partners “phubbed” them.
Here’s their diagram explaining how it works: the phubbing leads to conflict over cell phone use, which impacts relationship satisfaction, which impacts life satisfaction, which leads to depression.
Advertisement
Roberts outlined that those with anxious attachment styles were more likely to become bothered with cellphone use.
