Partner phubbing and relationship satisfaction through the lens of social allergy theory

A social allergen has been defined as "bothersome behavior of others that increases in irritation as a result of repetition and attributions about them." This study investigates how partner phubbing impacts relationship satisfaction among relationship partners. Partner phubbing is shorthand for "partner phone snubbing" and is viewed as a social allergen. The impact of such behavior, however, is predicated upon how the affected partner interprets such behavior. Previous research created a 2 × 2 matrix of social allergens based upon the perceived personal directedness and intentionality of the allergen. Study 1 and 2 results show that adults (n = 250) and college students (n = 213) do not see partner phubbing as being personally directed. In fact, 75% of adults and 82% of college students see partner phubbing as "Uncouth" behavior (not intentional nor perceived as personal). Twenty percent of adults and 16% of college students view partner phubbing as a norm violation (intentional, but not personal). A moderated – mediation regression for each sample found that the relationship between partner phubbing and relationship satisfaction is mediated by perceived relational denigration. When intentionality is high, partner phubbing is associated with higher levels of perceived relational denigration and lower relationship satisfaction.