Is Phone-Snubbing a Sign of Mental Illness?

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August 25, 2021 – “Some people who have high social anxiety or depression are more likely to be addicted to their smartphone,” says the study’s lead author, Juhyung Sun, from the University of Oklahoma in Norman

“People are really sensitive to their notifications. With each buzz or sound, we consciously or unconsciously look at our phones,” says Sun. And with so many focused on their smartphones, people are quickly adapting to the ways technology can interrupt social interactions, which can mask a deeper problem with serious effects on relationships. Sun says she became interested in studying phone snubbing when she noticed the impolite tendency for people to use their phones with friends in coffee shops and restaurants. She saw it was happening no matter what the relationship seemed to be between the people.

Participants answered questions on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 for strongly disagree to 5 for strongly agree as they responded to statements such as, “I would rather pay attention to my phone,” or “My friend tells me that I interact with my phone too much.” The investigators also point to a link between personality traits such as neuroticism and a tendency to focus on negative emotions to phone snubbing. By contrast, they showed that agreeable people who prefer to avoid arguments with others tended to focus less on their phone in the company of friends.

The researchers also found that phone use is more likely in the presence of three or more people because individuals seem to think it is OK to break from a conversation being led by others.

“People relied heavily on phones and other technologies to stay connected during the pandemic,” she explains. “For many, staying connected in a more distanced manner via texts and video messaging was more comfortable than face-to-face interaction.”

Only time will tell if people, especially socially anxious ones, will use their phone to ignore others when physically reunited, Samp says.

The problem is that while illnesses such as depression can have a negative effect on friendship satisfaction, the researchers found excessive phone use worsened the problem. This was also the case for social anxiety where added phubbing behavior seemed to worsen levels of friendship satisfaction. And people reporting neuroticism also expressed concern about weaker relationships. While phubbing can be interpreted as a lack of interest and focus, the alternate act of disabling or turning over a phone is a sign of respect, the researchers said.

“That, too, is a signal: ‘I am listening to what you are saying, this meeting is important, and I am focusing on you,’” Sun says.