How To Avoid Letting Your Smartphone Ruin Your Relationship

Smartphones are no longer just trendy; they’re essential to the way most of us conduct our lives. Though they appear merely as small rectangular objects that we keep in our pockets, these smart devices significantly impact how we interact with the environment around us. Take a look at the media, and you’ll find lots of headlines with topics such as “smartphones are destroying a generation” and “society is being ripped apart by social media.” What does real research tell us?

Undeniably, those who expose themselves for long periods to electronic devices tend to have worse moods and depression. Specifically, smartphones have been proven to be challenging for relationships, causing less empathy and low-quality social interactions. However, this doesn’t mean that your smartphone has only negative effects. Instead, there exist many ways that you can positively utilize your smartphone and better your interactions with others, including taking photos with friends and having meaningful conversations. It is only some smartphone uses that are harmful, not all.

But how can you prevent your smartphone from running your relationship with others? Some research-backed approaches include:

Avoid using your phone when you’re with other people
To ensure we build strong in-person relationships, we must be mindful of using our smartphones while around others. Normally, we tend to lower the quality of our social interaction with others when we start using our smartphones when we are with them.

Avoid replacing face-to-face interactions with electronic interaction
Since the popularity of smartphones skyrocketed, the time we spend communicating electronically has significantly increased. A day has only 24 hours, and increased use of smartphones reduces the amount of time we spend with each other, which can have drastic negative effects on our lives.

Ensure that your phone is out of sight when you are having meaningful conversations
Research has established that smartphones are highly disrupting, and thus it is prudent to ensure it’s not near you when having important conversations. Having a smartphone on the table can reduce trust, empathy, and even the quality of the conversation. Thus, it is best to keep it out of sight.