Why people ignore friends for smartphones

According to researchers, addiction to internet has proliferated this behaviour-known as phubbing-wherein they are prompted to 'phub' as well as experience being 'phubbed' in social situations.

The term "phubbing" represents the act of snubbing someone in a social setting by concentrating on one's phone instead of talking to the person directly.

The findings revealed that internet addiction, fear of missing out and lack of self-control predicated smartphone addiction.

This addiction, in turn, was directly linked to people phubbing behaviour.

"This experience of phubbing and of being phubbed themselves made people more likely to think that phubbing was 'normal' behaviour," said the Varoth Chotpitayasunondh from the University of Kent in Britain.

The study, published in the journal Computers in Human Behaviour, was designed to examine some of the psychological antecedents and consequences of phubbing behaviour.