A recent study published in Frontiers in Psychology suggests that when one partner is distracted by their smartphone during time spent together, it is linked to harmful behaviors that can damage the quality of a romantic relationship. The study found that when one partner frequently ‘phubs’ the other, it is associated with increased relational aggression in the relationship for both men and women. Furthermore, the researchers discovered that the level of support individuals feel they receive from their partner and the gap between the support they desire and what they actually get helps explain this link, particularly for women.
The researchers set out to explore the effects of what is known as “partner phubbing”—a term that describes the behavior of snubbing one’s significant other by focusing on one’s phone during shared moments—on relational aggression. Relational aggression refers to actions that are intended to harm a partner by damaging their social connections or feelings of belonging, rather than using physical force.
Previous studies have looked at aggression in relationships, but there was very little understanding of how everyday habits like checking a phone might trigger these negative behaviors. The new study was designed to answer whether being ignored because of phone use is linked to more aggressive actions within a relationship and to examine whether changes in the support partners provide each other could explain this connection. The researchers were also interested in discovering if men and women might react differently to such situations.
To answer these questions, the researchers recruited young unmarried adults from China who were currently involved in a romantic relationship. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 35 years old and all used smartphones on a daily basis. In February 2021, the researchers collected data through an online survey distributed via popular social networking channels in China. Potential participants received invitations through widely used messaging groups, and the survey was hosted on a well-known Chinese web-based survey platform. Out of 833 responses received, 772 were deemed usable after the research team removed responses that did not meet quality control checks.
The survey itself was organized into several sections. One section focused on partner phubbing and asked participants to report how often their romantic partner ignored them by using a mobile phone during interactions. This measure was based on a nine-item scale, where respondents rated the frequency of such behaviors on a five-point scale ranging from “never” to “all the time.” Another part of the survey examined the level of social support that participants received from their partner. Social support was measured in two ways: first, by asking about the actual help and care that participants felt they received, and second, by asking what they expected to receive in an ideal situation. The researchers then calculated the gap between these two sets of responses to capture what they called the support discrepancy—the difference between ideal support and actual support.
Finally, the survey included questions on relational aggression. Participants were asked about experiences over the past three months that related both to aggressive behaviors they may have perpetrated and to instances when they felt hurt by their partner’s actions. Each item on this measure was rated on a five-point scale, so that higher overall scores indicated higher levels of aggressive behavior within the relationship.
When the researchers analyzed the data, they found that partner phubbing was linked with relational aggression. In other words, the more a partner was distracted by their smartphone, the more likely it was that the other partner would engage in behaviors meant to undermine the relationship.
The study revealed that this connection was not simply a direct reaction but was also partly explained by changes in the level of social support. Specifically, when one partner frequently used their phone during moments that were meant for togetherness, the other partner received less of the support they needed. This lack of tangible support from the partner was associated with a greater likelihood of engaging in relational aggression.
At the same time, the gap between what support a person ideally expected and what they actually received also played a role. A larger difference between these two types of support was found to influence the link between phone distraction and aggressive behavior, although this effect was more subtle.
The study also examined whether these patterns differed between men and women. For female participants, both the reduction in actual support and the increase in the gap between ideal and actual support were important in explaining why partner phubbing led to higher levels of relational aggression. Women who felt that their partner was distracted by their phone reported receiving less support in day-to-day interactions, and this decrease in support was linked to more aggressive behaviors aimed at hurting or excluding their partner.
In contrast, for male participants, while partner phubbing was still directly associated with higher relational aggression, the measures of support did not significantly explain this connection. This suggests that women might be more sensitive to the supportive aspects of a relationship, and that when these supportive interactions are disrupted by phone distraction, it can lead to a stronger negative reaction. For men, the link between being ignored by a partner and acting aggressively seems to be less dependent on changes in support, pointing to the possibility that other factors may influence their responses.
But there are limitations to consider. Because the survey relied on self-reported data, there is always a risk that participants might have underreported or overreported their behaviors due to social desirability or personal biases. In addition, the study used a cross-sectional design, meaning that all the data were collected at one time. This makes it difficult to determine cause and effect; for example, it is unclear whether phone distraction leads to aggression or if aggressive behavior might also contribute to less supportive interactions that encourage phubbing.
Despite these limitations, the study offers new information about how everyday behaviors in the digital age might affect romantic relationships. The findings suggest that the act of being distracted by a smartphone during moments that should be devoted to a partner can lead to a breakdown in the quality of support within the relationship, which in turn can lead to harmful behaviors intended to damage the social bond.
The study, “Partner phubbing and relational aggression in romantic relationships among young adults in China: the roles of social support and gender,” was authored by
