Research from Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business confirms that cellphones are damaging relationships and leading to high levels of depression. Researchers conducted two separate surveys for their study, which involved a total of 453 adults in the United States. The researchers wanted to learn the relational effects of “Phubbing,” which is described as people who use or are distracted by their cell phones when they are with their romantic partners.

“What we discovered was that when someone perceived that their partner phubbed them, this created conflict and led to lower levels of reported relationship satisfaction,” the study said. “These lower levels of relationship satisfaction, in turn, led to lower levels of life satisfaction and, ultimately, higher levels of depression.”

The researchers took the first survey of 308 adults and created a “Partner Phubbing Scale,” a nine-item scale of regular smartphone behaviors that was identified as snubbing behaviors.

The scale included statements like:

• My partner places his or her cellphone where they can see it when we are together.

• My partner keeps his or her cellphone in their hand when he or she is with me.

• My partner glances at his/her cellphone when talking to me.

“The development of the scale is significant, the study states, because it demonstrates that “phubbing” is conceptually and empirically different from attitude toward cellphones, partner’s cellphone involvement, cellphone conflict and cellphone addiction.”

The second survey of 145 adults measured phubbing among couples. Researchers asked surveyors to respond to the nine-item scale developed in the first survey. Other areas of measurement in the second survey of 145 adults included cellphone conflict, relationship satisfaction, life satisfaction and depression. Results showed that 46.3 percent reported being phubbed by their partner, 22.6 percent said phubbing has caused conflict in their relationships and 36.6 percent reported feeling depressed.

Overall, only 32 percent of respondents stated that they were very satisfied with their relationship. This is disheartening to heat for those affected by phubbing or lack of communication in a relationship because our phone chat lines are all about genuine relationships and great back-to-back communication. There is always someone on our chat lines ready to listen to you and meet up for date if you’re looking for some loving and tired of phubbing.