Is Your Smartphone Ruining Your Relationship?
You Know Phones Can Be Bad
Smartphones are wonderful devices.
They are small, lean, stylish, and capable of an amazing variety of things.
They are like the world at our fingertips, connecting us to news sources, entertainment providers, people, places, and all the information you can think of – yet they are small enough to be hauled around in the pockets of our shorts.
They are always at hand, they are up close and personal, and they can be made to fit our needs when it comes to the services and information they have in front of our eyes.
But what is their effect on our relationships with others?
Are their advanced communication features doing good or bad?
Let’s try to find out.
As an article published in 2014 by the UK-based news portal Daily Mail, smartphones are perceived by many as a “third wheel” in a relationship.
And it is a pretty aggressive one, too, constantly competing with the world around you for your attention.
You constantly get notifications about fresh news stories, new Finnish casino reviews, game updates, promotions, special offers, social media updates, and other stuff – and if this wasn’t enough, there is the constant flow of text and instant messages you get from your friends and family.
Under such conditions, you might find yourself ignoring those next to you and focusing too much on the tech in your pocket.
There is even a name for this phenomenon: “technoference”.
A study conducted in 2015 by Brandon T. McDaniel, Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, Illinois State University, and Sarah M. Coyne, has taken a look at the family lives of 143 married and cohabiting women and the effects of technology on their relationships.
The result was hardly surprising: the majority perceived that devices like computers, TV sets, and smartphones interrupted their interactions – conversations, meals, leisure time – with their partners.
These interruptions send a message about what their partners value more – technology over their significant others – that causes quite a bit of bitterness in any relationships.
Overall, the respondents with frequent “technoference” have reported conflicts over technology use, lover relationship satisfaction, more depressive symptoms, and lower life satisfaction in general.
So, yes, we can safely say that excessive smartphone use can indeed ruin a relationship.
By diving into the world of technology, and letting it interfere with even the most intimate moments in your life, you grow more distant from your significant other.
You can avoid this by simply taking control of your smartphone use.
There are quite a few things you can do to counter your “smartphone addiction“, from leaving your phone on silent when getting home from work, setting a (short) time when you allow yourself to handle all the notifications and updates you may get, and overall focusing more on your partner than on your fear of missing out.
What’s Your Opinion?
- What’s your thoughts on the dangers of smartphones?
Tell us your thoughts, in the comments below.
