PLAYING on your phone while your spouse is talking could wreck your marriage, psychologists warn.
Scrolling, messaging or watching videos during real-life conversations — known as “phubbing” — strains relationships, Turkish researchers found.
GettyPlaying on your phone while your spouse is talking could wreck your marriage, psychologists warn[/caption]
Lead author Izzet Parmaksiz, of Nidge Omer Halisdemir University, said: “People should be mindful about being present with their loved ones and put their phone away.
“Marital conflict mainly occurs when people are ignored by those they value, and this ignorance leads to lower relationship satisfaction and may impact personal well-being.”
The term phubbing comes from a combination of the words “phone” and “snubbing”, as in ignoring someone while they talk to you.
Previous research has linked the modern trend to poor mental health, as well as procrastination in students.
One study found people are more likely to phub those closest to them, including their partners, friends, siblings, children and parents.
The latest research, published in the Elsevier journal Computers in Human Behaviour, tracked phubbing habits and relationship satisfaction in 712 adults.
Just over half of those surveyed were male and their average age was 37.
They were asked how often they phub, as well as questions about their marriage and communication skills.
People who regularly phubbed or whose partners did so had significantly less satisfaction in their relationships.
Researchers said the results suggest bad news for people who can’t put their phone down.
Mr Parmaksiz said: “Phubbing manifests itself as a behaviour that is widely observed everywhere in today’s technologically advanced societies
“Our research demonstrates the power of effective communication, especially among romantic couples.
“When individuals perceive that their romantic partners are phubbing more frequently, they feel more conflict and less intimacy in the relationship.”