Put The Phone Down For Greater Relationship Satisfaction, Research Suggests

"Phubbing," or "phone-snubbing," is a term used to describe using your phone during a face-to-face interaction, resulting in less attention on the person you're talking to, and more attention on your phone. Sound familiar?

It's become all too common, and in this study, a Turkish researcher wanted to know how this behavior impacts our relationship satisfaction. To do so, he conducted an online survey with just over 300 people, where participants reported on their life satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, relationship quality, and exposure to phubbing in the relationship.

And based on the findings, phubbing has a real impact. Namely, results indicated that the people who were exposed to more partner phubbing also reported lower relationship quality and relationship satisfaction. More partner phubbing did not show a significant association with life satisfaction, but the results are more nuanced than that.

As Caner Yam explains, “The phenomenon of phubbing, which hits individuals’ social interactions, is an important risk factor for romantic relationships," adding, "Partners’ being too busy with their smartphones during their romantic relationships harms relationship satisfaction and perceived romantic relationship quality."

He goes on to say that his findings highlight the importance of couples understanding how their phone usage impacts their relationship—and the good news is, all you have to do is put your phone down.