Aimee Walker
A toxic new dating trend called phubbing is taking over relationships and health experts have shared their concerns.
In the modern world of dating, there are plenty of concerns for people to watch out for – for instance, have you heard of getting ‘zombied’?
It’s a dating term that refers to a person suddenly cutting off all communication with someone they’re dating or interested in.
But phubbing is arguably worse as you’re already in a committed relationship – now it’s just ruining it.
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It’s become so concerning that it’s even led to heath experts speaking out and warning people to be mindful of it.
In his column for the Daily Mail, Dr Michael Mosley confesses to being a phubber and says that it’s understandably been annoying his wife.
He says that a recent relationship study has found that phubbing ‘significantly and negatively predicted marital satisfaction’.
So to put it bluntly, if you’re phubbing in a long-term relationship, it could have a detrimental impact.
So I bet you’re thinking – what exactly is phubbing?
Well, it refers to a person snubbing or ignoring someone in favour of using their mobile phone or other electronic devices.
It’s a play on words, combining ‘phone’ and ‘snubbing’.
Essentially, the person is engrossed in their phone and it diverts their attention from everything else surrounding them.
In today’s digital age, it has become increasingly common and it’s not just relationships it’s affecting – it’s resulting in parents ignoring their kids too.
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It has been found that excessive screen time can be linked to mental health challenges, such as issues with low self-esteem, emotional regulation and even physical changes, including insomnia and migraines, as per Thriveworks.
So if you’re feeling guilty about being a phubber from time to time, it’s important to know how to stop it.
Firstly, you need to acknowledge that this behaviour is rude and that aimlessly scrolling your phone is impacting your relationship with your partner.
To make it easier to divert your attention from your electronic devices, it’s been advised you turn off your social media and messaging notification when with your partner, family and friends.
You should also consider the time and place and whether now is the right time to be on your phone.
Maybe it is also worth asking yourself why you prefer to be on your phone instead of engaging with others. This is something you could explore with a counsellor or therapist.
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