A romantic relationship is a source of love and affection, a kind of emotional support. It becomes a safe space when the right psychological needs are met. But what happens when these needs like are not met? There’s a big emotional void.
So what happens to this void? A misguided sense of fulfilment leads unsatisfied people to seek comfort in social media. It becomes a weak attempt to cover that emotional void, offering distractions but failing to address the underlying emotional needs.
As per a study published in Frontiers in Psychology, these unmet psychological needs in romantic relationships can propel addictive behaviour like social media addiction and a maladaptive behaviour called phubbing where smartphone is favoured over face-to-face communication.
Social media addiction and phubbing
There’s an expectation that the relationship will provide comfort and a sense of belonging. Much of emotional wellbeing comes from relationships. But when the partner doesn’t return the affection that is expected, there’s an emotional vacuum. The study explained that, to seek comfort and solace, many resort to social media as an addiction. The lack of love drives them to social media, leading to social media addiction. It goes to the extent of ignoring the other to use the phone (phubbing).
The research included 958 young adults from Türkiye, aged 17 to 29, who reported on their relationships, smartphone usage, and overall satisfaction with their partners. The findings revealed a clear link: those who felt emotionally unfulfilled were more prone to diverting their attention to smartphones during personal interactions.
And it is a cycle; as one gets more addicted to social media and digital devices, they prioritize devices over their partners. These behaviours feed into each other.
The superficial acts of doom-scrolling, liking, and commenting give an illusion of solidarity that they don’t get in their relationship.
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Influence on relationship satisfaction
But this effect is not one-sided as it affects both individuals in the relationship, as per what the finding revealed. There will be an emotional distance between partners when phubbing and social media overshadow the relationship. It reduces intimacy and communication. The satisfaction goes down as smartphones steal most of the quality time away, leaving both partners neglected and unimportant. So, when people prioritize their devices over their relationships, it deepens the emotional disconnect.
This is why if there’s any emotional expectation or need that falls short in the relationship, it’s important to talk it out openly rather than suppressing and resorting to distractions like social media. It further creates distance and disconnect.
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