Do you constantly keep checking your phone while talking to your partner, even while out on a romantic date? If yes, you are 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 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.
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.
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".
