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Depression
5 Disturbing Facts About Phone Snubbing
1. Depressed people are more likely to Fphub.
Posted November 29, 2021 Reviewed by Abigail Fagan
Key points
- "Fphubbing" refers to friend phone snubbing, which is when you engage with your smartphone while ignoring the friends you're with.
- Depressed and socially anxious people fphub more frequently than those with agreeable personality traits.
- Constant fphubbing with close friends is tied to lower satisfaction with those relationships.
It’s a familiar scene. A few friends meet up at a cafe. They look at their menus, order their food and then… someone pulls out their phone and spends the next several minutes mindlessly scrolling or checking messages while the others just sit there silently.
If you’ve been in this situation, you’re not alone. Maybe you were the person on your phone, maybe you were the person being ignored. Maybe you’ve been both. Either way, frequent and pervasive friend phone snubbing or “Fphubbing” can and will have a destructive effect on your relationships.
Now a recent study at the University of Georgia gets to the bottom of why some of us just can’t stop Fphubbing, even when we know it’s wrong.
1. Depressed people are more likely to Fphub.
According to the researchers, depressed, neurotic and socially anxious people who prefer online interactions to in-person are more frequent Fphubbers and are also more likely to compulsively use their smartphones.
2. Agreeable people don’t Fphub as much.
Meanwhile, people with agreeable personality qualities, such as cooperation, politeness, and friendliness, have lower instances of Fphubbing and generally try to maintain social harmony and avoid conflict. They also consider phone snubbing as rude to the people they’re with.
3. Fphubbing usually happens in groups.
If you’re in a group of three or more, then there’s a good chance at least one person will be guilty of fphubbing. Often, the fphubber assumes that no one will notice because they are in a group environment. This dynamic and rationale is especially prevalent in the workplace, when a colleague is talking, but others are typing away at their screens because they assume that no one is paying attention to them.
4. The more you Fphub, the worse your friendship.
The researchers affirmed previous studies which found that the more people used their phones in the presence of close friends, the lower satisfaction they felt with those relationships. In other words, people use their smartphones as a way to avoid or escape unsatisfying friendships.
5. Turn your phone over.
One simple way to prevent yourself from fphubbing is to turn your phone over. Or better yet, disable the phone and remove it from view. It’s a clear and impactful sign that shows your attention and focus is on the people you’re with. It just might save your friendship.
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