Phubbing

PHUBBING—the act of snubbing the people you are with in favor of being on your phone—unsurprisingly has a negative impact on our relationships, particularly with a primary partner.

"There’s an irony in phubbing. When we’re staring at our phones, we’re often connecting with someone on social media or through texting. Sometimes, we’re flipping through our pictures the way we once turned the pages of photo albums, remembering moments with people we love. Unfortunately, however, this can severely disrupt our actual, present-moment, in-person relationships, which also tend to be our most important ones."

Here’s an interesting summary of research on the effects of phubbing and strategies to counter these addictive patterns.