Beware of “Phubbing”, it May Be Killing Your Relationship

A romantic relationship needs our dedication, devotion, and a lot of attention so it can blossom and grow strong. On the contrary, lot of us take our relationship with our partners for granted, people don’t dedicate and pay attention to what they are sharing or expressing and are usually judgemental or even accusatory towards their partners.

Unfortunately, today’s couple is more at risk of damaging their beautiful relationship due to “phubbing”, a merging of the words “phone” and “snubbing”.

Phubbing occurs when your partner ignores you or is distracted from the conversation because of his or her phone. While phubbing can often happen innocently, such as checking Facebook at the dinner table, the constant use of smartphones in the presence of a romantic partner can undermine the relationship—making it feel as if someone’s partner is choosing their phone over them.

According to a recent American survey result, 46% of the participants had experienced Phubbing from their significant other, and 27% of the respondents disclosed that phubbing caused problems in their relationship. Not only did the study find that phubbing was affecting relationship security, but participants who reported being phubbed were also more likely to have depression and overall low life satisfaction.

The reasons why phubbing is creating problems in romantic relationships are:

a. The time spent on smartphones reduces the amount of meaningful time spent with your partner.

b. The actual act of phubbing is one of the factors of couple arguments and fights, therefore creating less satisfaction in the relationship.

It is inevitable that we use our phones in front of our romantic partners, but making time for distraction-free communication is the key to strengthening your relationship with your partner. Remember your new Facebook or Twitter updates, new emails, Whatsapp pings, all of this can wait and most of them are generally forwarded messages and don't deserve your immediate/continuous attention at the cost of hurting and making your loved one feel ignored and/or less important. 

The author Shivani Misri Sadhoo is an eminent relationship and marriage counsellor 

(www.saarthicounsellingservices.com)