Rather than dictate to your partner what they should or should not do, try an approach such as, “I love talking with you,
but when you’re constantly checking your phone it’s hard to have a great conversation.”
“The first step is awareness,” Dr. Roberts said.
A popular song by Lost Kings even asks: “Why don’t you put that [expletive] phone down?”
“A key to a healthy relationship is being present,” said James Roberts, author of “Too Much of a Good Thing: Are You Addicted to Your Smartphone?”.
“The big challenge is that people are not talking about these issues enough,” said Daniel Ellenberg, a psychotherapist
and partner with Ms. Bell in Relationships That Work.
But phone love can go too far — so far that it can interfere with human love — old fashioned face-to-face intimacy with
that living and breathing being you call your partner, spouse, lover or significant other.
A few years back, they would let themselves be interrupted.”
If you’re feeling frustrated by phone interference in your relationship, talk to your partner but be positive.
When a phone was present during a conversation, the partners rated the conversation as less fulfilling
and reported less feelings of empathic concern than when phones were absent.