'Phubbing' your partner is ruining relationships without people even knowing they're doing it

The dating game is hard enough in this day and age, strewn with all manner of obstacles to dodge.

And in a world where most of the interactions we have with any potential partner are online, the pitfalls are much deeper and much harder to spot.

You only have to take the vast number of dating terms we have these days as evidence of that - everywhere you look, someone is being 'ghosted', 'benched,' or 'breadcrumbed'.

In short, it's a brutal world out there, and you've got to be ready for anything.

Well, on that note, we have a new term doing the rounds, and the chances are you might do it yourself and have no idea about it: phubbing.

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What is phubbing?

You may think you're a top class dater, but 'phubbing' is something you may do without realising.

The word is a mix between 'phone' and 'snubbing', and in this phone obsessed society, everyone's probably been guilty at least once.

The group chat is more than likely popping off during dates, as the gang are wondering how things are getting on. However, those who go to respond are unknowingly 'phubbing' their date/partner, and there's a reason it needs to stop.

In short, anytime you're ignoring the human in front of you for your phone screen, you're a culprit of 'phubbing'.

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How phubbing is damaging relationships and lives

As well as being kind of rude, 'phubbing' is also having a damaging effect on relationships, according to one study.

The study’s authors explained: “The phenomenon of phubbing, which hits individuals’ social interactions, is an important risk factor for romantic relationships.

“In other words, partners’ being too busy with their smartphones during their romantic relationships harms relationship satisfaction and perceived romantic relationship quality.”

But that's not all; as well as romantic satisfaction, phubbing can have a negative effect on life satisfaction too. This means, phubbing could be making your partner more miserable in their day to day life too.

The paper went on: “The results… indicate that partner 'phubbing' had a significant indirect effect on life satisfaction through perceived romantic relationship quality and relationship satisfaction.

“These results reveal that relationship satisfaction and perceived romantic relationship quality decrease in individuals who are exposed to partner phubbing behaviours, and that decreased relationship satisfaction and romantic relationship quality harm life satisfaction.”

So, next time you think about reaching for that phone on a date, think again.