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Are you a P-PHUBBER? Snubbing your partner by checking your phone can cause them to become depressed and anxious

'Phubbing' was coined in 2013 and is a mix of words 'phone' and snubbing'
It is the act of snubbing someone in a social setting by looking at a phone
P-phubbing is the act of ignoring a partner by being distracted by tech
Researchers have found it can cause arguments, depression and anxiety

Published: 10:15 EST, 4 September 2015 | Updated: 15:22 EST, 4 September 2015

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Are you the kind of person who checks their phone will talking to their partner or leaves their phone on the dinner table during a date?

Then you're guilty of p-phubbing.

Phubbing is the act of snubbing someone in a social setting by looking at your phone and p-phubbing relates specifically to when you ignore a partner one while doing so.

Researchers have now found that p-phubbing can cause the person being ignored to become depressed and anxious in their relationship, and it can even impact other aspects of their life.

Researchers have now found that 'p-phubbing' - when a person in a relationship regularly snubs their partner in favour of looking at their phone - can cause the person being ignored to become depressed and anxious in their relationship, and it can even impact other aspects of their life (stock image)

The term phubbing was coined in 2013 and is a portmanteau of the words 'phone' and 'snubbing', the additional 'p' stands for 'partner' and was added by researchers from Baylor University.

Led by business professor James Roberts, a team from Baylor University in Texas surveyed 145 men and women in relationships.

Each participant was presented with a series of statements and was asked to rate them on a scale of how often they experienced them.

WHAT IS PHUBBING?

The term phubbing was coined in 2013 and is a portmanteau of the words 'phone' and 'snubbing'.

It is defined as 'the act of snubbing someone in a social setting by looking at your phone instead of paying attention.'

There is even a Stop Phubbing campaign group, which started in Australia and was set up to address the problem.

The website lets people download posters to discourage phubbing at events.

There is also the anti-phubbing dinner ritual.

It involves everyone at the table placing their phones on the table, face down.

The first person to check their phone pays for everyone else's meal.

The statements included: 'My partner glances at his/her phone when talking to me', 'My partner uses his or her phone when we are out together,' and 'during a typical mealtime that my partner and I spend together, my partner pulls out and checks his/her phone.'

They were also asked to explain how this made them feel.

The results found that p-phubbing had a direct impact on relationship satisfaction across the board.

This was intensified if the person being ignored had what's known as an 'anxious attachment style.'

Attachment theory is a psychological model used to determine the dynamics of relationships between adults as well as between children and their parents.

People with anxious or preoccupied attachment styles look to their partner to 'rescue or complete' them and have a fear of being abandoned.

Although they’re seeking a sense of safety and security by clinging to a partner, they often take actions that push their partner away.

Attention phubbers: One of the posters available from StopPhubbing.com

We'll gladly serve the politOne of the posters available from StopPhubbing.com

The term phubbing was coined in 2013 and is a portmanteau of the words 'phone' and 'snubbing'. It is defined as 'the act of snubbing someone in a social setting by looking at your phone instead of paying attention.' There is even a Stop Phubbing campaign group that produces anti-phubbing posters (examples pictured)

People who experience the most phubbing in their relationships were found to argue more than other couples, and these experiences were found to directly impact how happy people felt.

Notably, the person being ignored didn't just feel depressed about their relationship, these feelings were felt in other aspects of their life as a whole, even when their partner wasn't present.

'Given the ever-increasing use of cell phones to communicate between romantic partners, the present research offers insight into the process by which such use may impact relationship satisfaction and personal well-being,' explained the researchers.

The research is published in the journal Computers in Human Behaviour.

The problem of phubbing is becoming so prolific there are now groups set up in an attempt to ban it.

The Stop Phubbing campaign was created by Alex Haigh, 23, from Melbourne who created a website where companies can download posters to discourage phubbing for events.

There is also the anti-phubbing dinner ritual. It involves everyone at the table placing their phones on the table, face down.

The first person to check their phone pays for everyone else's meal.