According to a new study published in Psychological Reports, people who engage in phubbing have lower levels of empathy in them. Phubbing refers to ignoring others around you by focusing on your smartphone instead, and it often occurs during gatherings, meals or conversations. During phubbing, an individual is unable to have emotional and face-to-face interaction with others, which can negatively impact his mental health. In 2015, 90% of the people reported using their smartphones while being socially engaged, with 86% reporting that they have seen people engage in phubbing.
The researchers conducted two studies to know more about the effects of phubbing. In the first study, the researchers conducted an online survey to know more about prosociality and trait phubbing. 220 English-speaking adults were recruited and they were asked to do assessments like the Measure of State Empathy Scale, the Brief Self-Control Test, the Generic Scale of Phubbing and the Prosocial Behavior Intentions Scale. In the second study, 362 Hebrew-speaking participants were recruited, with 199 of them being females. They were asked to complete a phubbing priming task, and then they were divided into two groups. The first group was asked to recall a situation where they were using their phones in face-to-face interaction, and the second group was asked to recall a situation where they forced themselves to not use their phone during social interaction.
The results of the first study showed that participants more prone to phubbing have low prosocial intentions and self-control, but phubbing has nothing to do with empathy. The study suggested that phubbing leads to lower self-control, which can lead to lower empathy. The results of the second study showed that individuals who recalled phubbing someone also felt less empathy than those who forced themselves to not engage in phubbing. The bottom line is that phubbing can lead to lower self-control, which leads to lower empathy and this can reduce prosociality among individuals.
Image: DIW-Aigen
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The researchers conducted two studies to know more about the effects of phubbing. In the first study, the researchers conducted an online survey to know more about prosociality and trait phubbing. 220 English-speaking adults were recruited and they were asked to do assessments like the Measure of State Empathy Scale, the Brief Self-Control Test, the Generic Scale of Phubbing and the Prosocial Behavior Intentions Scale. In the second study, 362 Hebrew-speaking participants were recruited, with 199 of them being females. They were asked to complete a phubbing priming task, and then they were divided into two groups. The first group was asked to recall a situation where they were using their phones in face-to-face interaction, and the second group was asked to recall a situation where they forced themselves to not use their phone during social interaction.
The results of the first study showed that participants more prone to phubbing have low prosocial intentions and self-control, but phubbing has nothing to do with empathy. The study suggested that phubbing leads to lower self-control, which can lead to lower empathy. The results of the second study showed that individuals who recalled phubbing someone also felt less empathy than those who forced themselves to not engage in phubbing. The bottom line is that phubbing can lead to lower self-control, which leads to lower empathy and this can reduce prosociality among individuals.
Read next: Terrorism Affects 68 Countries in 2024, With Sahel and Pakistan Among the Hardest Hit
