Phubbing, when the smartphone affects the couple's relationship
Smartphones have changed our lives. On the one hand they have provided us with a tool that allows us a good channel of communication through which, for example, to ask the partner a last-minute item while making the purchase. But on the other it is also a tool that can distract the members of marriage from the most important.
The night comes, minutes before sleep and instead of telling how the day has gone, both members of the partner They look at their screens instead of the face of the loved one. A phenomenon known as "phubbing", a term that mixes the words "pone" (telephone) and "snubbing" (ignore). A reality that alters interpersonal relationships and that can lead to numerous discussions if no remedy is made.
Glued to the screen
The latest data from Google Consumer Barometer Report they assure that 81% of the Spanish population has a smartphone. Figure that in principle should not worry because it is a useful tool as it is used, the real problem begins when technology is abused and left to the side of the family, paying more attention to the screen than to other members of the household .
Therefore, the Australian Alex Haigh has been warning for several years about the dangers of phubbing in the family and on the web Stop Phubbing offers some information about the situation of this phenomenon. For example, in any visit to restaurants we can see approximately 36 cases of this type around us, that is, people attending their mobile instead of their companions.
As for the applications The most common of phubbing are status updates on social networks, answering messages in applications of this type or playing a title for smartphones. In short, banal tasks that trap the attention of the individual completely ignore what the other person is telling them, something that inevitably causes the interlocutor's anger, propitiating a climate of tension within the couple with constant discussions.
Solutions to phubbing
There is no excuse, the attention your partner deserves must be given. Except in case of extreme urgency, a smartphone should not be ahead of your interlocutor, especially when this is your family. Therefore, here we offer you some tips to try to remedy phubbing at home:
- Telephone in another room. You get home tired, and wanting to see your partner and children. Leave the phone in another room and enjoy these moments, if it's something important, surely the call will listen to you.
- Leave everything ready. There is no need to answer emails or anything if everything is left ready. Before going to the meeting with your partner, leave everything ready so there are no emails or messages to solve. If there is something unforeseen, again a call will surely let you know.
- The moments. To sleep, you only need pajama clothes and a comfortable bed. The smartphone should not be on the mattress, much like on the bedside table to act as an alarm. Surely a conversation with your partner is more important than any query on this screen.
- Reconnect with reality. A good way to put aside the smartphone is to enjoy the real world. Do you want to play something? Propose a plan to your partner, need communication? Ask the members of your family how the day is.
- Empathy. No one is amused to be dislodged because of a cell phone, think before unlocking your terminal if you would like it if your interlocutor did the same with you.
Damián Montero
