奇速英语

One morning, I stopped at my favorite restaurant to get something to eat and got comfortable at a small table. Shortly after, I noticed four young people sitting at a table near me. After simply greeting each other and ordering, they all looked at their phones and continued to do so until their orders arrived. After photographing their food, they ate, continuing to look at their phones. I was wondering why they came here to eat together. They were phubbing, or phone snubbing (冷落), a very common problem these days.

You may not know the word “phubbing”, but this kind of act is not strange to you. In fact, 32% of people report that they are phubbed two or three times a day.

Do you have a conversation on your phone while talking to another person face to face? Do you scroll (上下滑动) through your phone while eating with someone for fear of missing out? If your answer is yes to either of them, you might be a “phubber”.

The writer of The Psychology of Phubbing did a survey and found that the influence of phubbing on relationships can be very harmful or destructive. For example, children felt that parents who phubbed them didn’t care about them. This led to a feeling of being left out. Also, partners who were phubbed might be less satisfied with the relationship because of jealousy (嫉妒) and worries.

Phubbing is a learned act, so unlearning it is possible. Start by accepting the problem. Set a time limit (限制) for not using your phone. Create areas where phones are off-limits.

Don’t let the modern technology which is designed (设计) to bring people together separate you from others.