We all have bad habits that can impact our relationships. Since our phones play such a critical role in our lives, it’s no surprise that misuse could impact our relationships. Let’s take a closer look at one bad phone habit that could have a negative impact on your relationship.
The Bad Phone Habit That Could be Destroying Your Relationship
A study found that “phubbing” — or phone snubbing — is taking a serious toll on our relationships.
What exactly is phubbing? It’s when you snub (or ignore) whoever you’re with — in this case, your partner — and pay attention to your phone instead. It might be because you’re texting, watching a TikTok video, paying attention to your football fantasy league or scrolling through Instagram.
Chances are, we’ve all been guilty of this bad phone habit at some point in time. And that’s problematic, because this bad habit can wreak serious harm on our relationships.
The researchers of the study conducted a survey of more than 300 people and found that those who experienced phubbing from their significant others reported having lower levels of relationship satisfaction and poorer quality relationships.
Why This Bad Habit is Taking a Toll on Your Relationship
It doesn’t matter why you’re using your phone. The problem is that it’s making your partner feel ignored and neglected. It can make both parties in the relationship feel less connected to one another. It can also make our partners feel like we’re not listening to them since we seem more invested in our phones instead.
How to Avoid This Bad Phone Habit
Be mindful about when you’re using your phone. If you’re enjoying a meal with your partner or having a conversation with them, put your phone down. It’s as simple as that.
This is something that we should all practice in our relationships, beginning from the very first date. Put your phone down and give your significant other your undivided attention.
We should all try to set aside time for our partners each day and make sure we don’t use our phones during that time. You might even consider setting up cell phone free zones in your home. For example, you might agree to not using phones in the bedroom at a certain time and to keep your phones away from the dinner table.
If you must use your phone, especially in the midst of a deep or serious conversation, your best bet is to excuse yourself. It’s important to give your significant other your full attention, even if that means it needs to wait. But let’s be real: Most of us can wait to check our messages or watch an Instagram Reel until a later time.
Try to put your partner first and check your phone when they’re not around so you don’t leave them feeling hurt, neglected, or resentful about your lack of attention.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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From The Good Men Project on Medium
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Photo credit: Gabriella Clare Marino on Unsplash
