Married people less likely to ‘phub’ their partner, new study finds

There’s a lot of dating trends out there with pretty odd names, but ‘phubbing’ has to be up there as one of the oddest.

From ‘zombieing’ to ‘masterdating’, phubbing is perhaps one of the least self-explanatory toxic phrases.

But luckily for those with a ring on their finger, a new study has found that married people are less likely to ‘phub’ their partner.

And while you might not have a clue what this bizarre-sounding phrase means, it’s possible you’ve been guilty of it at some point.

So, picture the scene, you’re in some low-lit bar or candle-lit restaurant or you know, a little booth in Maccies and things are going well.

But as you reach over to make a move, your phone goes off. The group chat are absolutely kicking off about something and you just can’t miss out so quickly pick it up and join in.

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And that, is phubbing. It’s even in the Cambridge Dictionary as a portmanteau of ‘phone’ and ‘snubbing’ – you know, those moments when you snub the human you’re with for your phone.

A group of researchers in Lebanon surveyed 461 young Lebanese adults between 18 to 29-years-old to look into their phubbing habits. They reckoned those with a high score for the personality trait of extraversion would be less prone to phubbing.

But the results showed no clear association between this, and the authors of the study were more surprised by the links with relationship statuses.

Turns out, the married people surveyed were less likely to phub than single people – despite them spending much of their time with their partner and arguably, their dates being less important to make an impression.

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The authors reckon this is because those in marriages are less lonely and have more responsibilities and concerns that consume their time. However, there isn’t any conclusive research on this just yet.

It’s also important to note that the study was made up mostly of young, highly-educated females so it might not be the most accurate representation of a wide population.

But either way, phubbing isn’t exactly a desirable trait for a relationship.

Another previous study found that phubbing can really ruin relationships, as it 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.”

Topics: Sex and Relationships

Jess Battison

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

@jessbattison_