How Our Smartphones Could Be Ruining Our Relationships

We all know that a lot of people are addicted to their smartphones we may be one of them.

A new study says all that time looking at our phones and texting with friends could be hurting our relationships with our friends. The study looked into what the researchers call “phubbing”, snubbing a friend to look at your phone.

The researchers found that while a lot of people agree that the act of “phubbing” is rude, a lot of people still do it. The study found that mental health and certain personality traits play a big role in this kind of social rudeness. And that there’s a strong connection between depression and anxiety and phubbing people.

The findings of the study showed that depressed people were more likely to phub friends often. And that socially anxious people, who may prefer online interactions, also appear to phub more often.

But not everyone phubs. The study found that people are who are generally more agreeable kinds of people are less likely to ignore their friends in favor of their phones. As one of the researchers put it, “They have a high tendency to maintain social harmony while avoiding arguments that can ruin their relationships.”

This study should be a reminder, especially during this time when it seems more people are disagreeable, to stop the phubbing and start paying more attention to others.

(Photo credit Getty Images)