Your phone is ruining your relationship (but it’s really your fault)

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Butros K
Updated June 7, 2016
Published June 7, 2016
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It’ll probably come as little surprise to hear that tech can have negative consequences on your life.

That’s right, your phone is ruining your relationship and your sex life – and you don’t have to take Durex’s word for it.

Tech and connectivity are said to have contributed to a decline in sex over the last 30 years. Talking at the Hay Festival, David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk at the University of Cambridge, said it’s down to streaming and smartphones.

“I think it’s the box set, Netflix. ‘OMG I’ve got to watch the entire second series of Game of Thrones.’”

Of course, it’s not just blanking out for hours on end watching Netflix that’s the problem. You also check your phone an alarming number of times every day. You know you’re addicted, but you probably don’t know just how addicted.

You’re not alone; 20 percent of ‘millennials’ couldn’t tell you either.

FOMO

In fact, online retail coupon database, Coupofy, suggests that 28 percent of millennials suffer FOMO so badly they want to check their smartphones during sex

Of the 2,000 people they surveyed, 12 percent give in to that temptation and “check their phone during sex or while making out”, while overall 30 percent said that checking their phone is the first thing they do after having sex.

According to Brandon McDaniel, a human development expert at the Pennsylvania State University, “it is not only the technology that is to blame… personal characteristics and choice can also have a large, sometimes unseen, role.”

His research says that “individuals may be sending implicit messages about what they value most, leading to conflict and negative outcomes in personal life and relationships”

So it isn’t just the technology. Or the boxsets.

It’s not us. It’s you.

Yes, we know it’s hard but put down the phone. Switch off the laptop. You (probably) aren’t addicted – you’ve just forgotten how to do the other things.

But not now, obviously, we’ve got more awesome articles for you to read first.

 

Topics mentioned in this article relationships
Article by
Butros, a technology enthusiast based in London, is deeply intrigued by the ways in which technology is reshaping society and human interactions. With a keen interest in the intersection of technology and its impact on our lives, Butros delves into the transformative effect of emerging technologies. From the latest gadgets to the societal implications of artificial intelligence and beyond, Butros explores the profound ways technology is shaping our world. Keep up with Butros’ insights and perspectives by connecting on Twitter at @ButrosButrosK.
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