Couples and cellphones: Phubbing on the rise

Are you experiencing phubbing in your romantic relationship?

Dr Claire Hart, Associate Professor at the University of Southampton's Department of Psychology, is conducting research into this phenomenon of phone snubbing aka phubbing.

"Phubbing is when it becomes an interference within a relational setting. So when you start to worry that it's having an impact on how you're functioning as a couple."

Hart says phubbing is on the rise "because the trouble is that so many different things happen on our phones now and we've become so reliant on them".

"And that's where the sort of normality has set in. We expect each other to be looking at our phones at all times of the day. When it becomes a problem in our relationship is when... perhaps there's more conflict because you're getting annoyed at the other person for looking at their phone rather than interacting with you for example."

She says it's not so important whether we're actually being phubbed but the perception of being phubbed. "That has that knock-on effect of relationship satisfaction, and has negative connotations for our own emotional well-being because we feel that we're being rejected by our partner. And therefore undervalued and therefore unimportant."

It's vital for couples to discuss phone boundaries in their relationship. "There are some practical things you can do .. put your phone on silent... Turn off your push notifications so that your phone isn't constantly distracting you every few minutes."

To listen to Hart's full discussion with CapeTalk's John Maytham, click the media player below: