{"id":1157,"date":"2025-03-23T18:05:45","date_gmt":"2025-03-23T18:05:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/?p=1157"},"modified":"2025-03-27T13:34:40","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T13:34:40","slug":"nothing-says-romance-like-completely-ignoring-someone-to-go-on-your-phone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/nothing-says-romance-like-completely-ignoring-someone-to-go-on-your-phone\/","title":{"rendered":"Nothing says romance like completely ignoring someone to go on your phone"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Love is in the air\u2026 but so is wifi. For some, that\u2019s way more interesting \u2013 welcome to the age of phubbing

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You’re mid-conversation on a date, sharing something mildly interesting, when your potential new partner suddenly picks up their phone. A quick glance turns into a full scroll, and just like that, you\u2019ve lost them. Congrats, you\u2019ve been phubbed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A blend of the words phone and snubbing, phubbing<\/a> is the act of ignoring someone in favour of your phone. And, while it might just feel like a modern-day annoyance, research suggests it\u2019s doing real damage to our relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, 52% of 18 to 29 year-olds in relationships<\/a> say their partner is at least sometimes distracted by their phone when they\u2019re trying to talk to them. Phubbing isn\u2019t just an occasional bad habit; for many, it\u2019s a recurring issue that\u2019s quietly chipping away at real-life connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to psychologist Dr Lalitaa Suglani<\/a>, phubbing is when one partner prioritises their phone over their significant other, and this can create a sense of emotional disconnection. \u201cEmotional intimacy thrives on feeling seen, heard, and valued, and phubbing disrupts this by creating a physical and psychological barrier in interactions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can create a problem for people with anxious attachment<\/a> styles or past experiences of rejection from others. Dr Suglani says phubbing can trigger the fear of being ignored, feeling unimportant, or emotionally abandoned. Even if unintentional, the act of looking at a phone instead of engaging with a partner can be interpreted as emotional neglect, which leads to frustration, insecurity, or resentment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If phubbing has created emotional distance in your relationship, Dr Suglani recommends addressing it with curiosity and vulnerability rather than blame. Instead of accusing a partner of being on their phone too much, she suggests using statements like: \u201cI love our time together, but I sometimes feel disconnected when we\u2019re both on our phones. Could we set aside some screen-free time?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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