A pair of psychologists at Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University has discovered that married couples who regularly engage in phone snubbing (phubbing) have lower marriage satisfaction compared to couples who do not engage in this behavior. The researchers, Suat Kılıçarslan and İzzet Parmaksız, conducted a study and collected data from married couples in Turkey by sending them questionnaires. The results were reported in the journal Computers in Human Behavior.
The advent of smartphones has introduced a new behavior in society, where individuals become excessively attached to their devices. Sociologists have observed that these changes have both positive and negative effects. Some people feel less lonely because they are constantly connected, while others feel more isolated because they struggle to establish direct connections with others.
A new behavior called “phubbing” or “phone snubbing” has been identified, where individuals ignore conversations with people around them as they engage in phone calls or text messages. If both individuals are doing this to each other, it is referred to as double-phubbing.
In their study, the researchers aimed to explore the impact of phubbing on marriages. They designed surveys to assess the level of closeness in a marriage in relation to phone use. The surveys were distributed to married individuals in Turkey, and a total of 712 responses were received, with an equal distribution between males and females. The average age of the participants was 37.
The researchers discovered a clear pattern - couples who reported higher levels of phubbing in their homes also reported lower levels of marriage satisfaction. They argue that this finding is logical, as people generally do not respond well to being ignored. However, they did not discuss the possibility that partners who are less satisfied in their marriage may be more inclined to engage in phubbing behavior. The researchers suggest a simple solution to this problem - married couples can try turning off their phones more frequently.
2023-07-19 20:00:04
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