Cell phones ruin romantic relationships

Research from Baylor University's Hankamer
School of Business confirms that cellphones are
damaging romantic relationships and leading to
higher levels of depression.
James A. Roberts, Ph.D., The Ben H. Williams
Professor of Marketing, and Meredith David,
Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing,
published their study -- "My life has become a
major distraction from my cell phone: Partner
phubbing and relationship satisfaction among
romantic partners" -- in the journal Computers in
Human Behavior .
For their study, the researchers conducted two
separate surveys, accounting for a total of 453
adults in the U.S., to learn the relational effects
of "Pphubbing" -- or "partner phone snubbing."
Pphubbing is described in the study as the
extent to which people use or are distracted by
their cellphones while in the company of their
relationship partners.
"What we discovered was that when someone
perceived that their partner phubbed them, this
created conflict and led to lower levels of
reported relationship satisfaction," Roberts
explained. "These lower levels of relationship
satisfaction, in turn, led to lower levels of life
satisfaction and, ultimately, higher levels of
depression."
(Read the story online at Cellphones Can
Damage Romantic Relationships, Lead to
Depression.)
The first survey of 308 adults helped Roberts and
David develop a "Partner Phubbing Scale," a
nine-item scale of common smartphone
behaviors that respondents identified as
snubbing behaviors.
The resulting scale includes statements such as:
My partner places his or her cellphone where
they can see it when we are together.
My partner keeps his or her cellphone in their
hand when he or she is with me.
My partner glances at his/her cellphone when
talking to me.
If there is a lull in our conversation, my
partner will check his or her cellphone.
The development of the scale is significant, the
study states, because it demonstrates that
"Pphubbing is conceptually and empirically
different from attitude toward cellphones,
partner's cellphone involvement, cellphone
conflict, and cellphone addiction."
The second survey of 145 adults measured
Pphubbing among romantic couples. This was
done, in part, by asking those surveyed to
respond to the nine-item scale developed in the
first survey.
Other areas of measurement in the second
survey included cellphone conflict, relationship
satisfaction, life satisfaction, depression and
interpersonal attachment style (e.g., "anxious
attachment" describes people who are less
secure in their relationship).
Results of the survey showed that:
46.3 percent of the respondents reported
being phubbed by their partner
22.6 percent said this phubbing caused
conflict in their relationships
36.6 percent reported feeling depressed at
least some of the time
Overall, only 32 percent of respondents stated
that they were very satisfied with their
relationship, the study shows.
"In everyday interactions with significant others,
people often assume that momentary
distractions by their cell phones are not a big
deal," David said. "However, our findings suggest
that the more often a couple's time spent
together is interrupted by one individual
attending to his/her cellphone, the less likely it
is that the other individual is satisfied in the
overall relationship.
"Specifically, momentary distractions by one's
cellphone during time spent with a significant
other likely lowers the significant other's
satisfaction with their relationship, and could
lead to enhanced feelings of depression and
lower well-being of that individual. Thus, when
spending time with one's significant other, we
encourage individuals to be cognizant of the
interruptions caused by their cellphones, as
these may well be harmful to their relationship."
Roberts explained that those with anxious
attachment styles (less secure in their
relationship) were more bothered (reported
higher levels of cellphone conflict) than those
with more secure attachment styles (more
secure in their relationship). In addition, lower
levels of relationship satisfaction -- stemming, in
part, from being Pphubbed -- led to decreased
life satisfaction that, in turn, led to higher levels
of depression.
Given the ever-increasing use of smartphones to
communicate between romantic partners, the
study helps to understand how the use of
smartphones can impact not only satisfaction
with romantic relationships, but also personal
well-being, Roberts said.
"When you think about the results, they are
astounding," Roberts said. "Something as
common as cellphone use can undermine the
bedrock of our happiness -- our relationships with
our romantic partners."
In addition to its journal publication, this research
provided foundational material for three chapters
in Roberts' new book, "Too Much of a Good
Thing: Are You Addicted to Your Smartphone?"
Story Source:
The above post is reprinted from materials
provided by Baylor University . Note: Materials
may be edited for content and length.