Smartphones have become an important part of our daily lives. From waking up in the morning with an alarm on our phones to ordering dinner at home, we rely on our phones in a lot of ways. However, a recent study by smart device maker Vivo revealed that excessive use of mobiles is hurting the relationship of married couples in India.
The study has been conducted based on a survey of 1,000 consumers across Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, and Pune.
During the “Switch Off” study conducted with Cybermedia Research on ‘Smartphones and their impact on human relationships 2022’, it was discovered that 67 per cent of people confessed to being on their phone even when they are spending time with their spouse.
On the other hand, 89 per cent of respondents said that they spend less time engaging in relaxed conversation with their spouse than possible.
According to the survey, smartphone users agree that in-person engagements are more relaxing and they spend less time doing the same.
“Eighty-four per cent of respondents wish to spend more time with their spouse. People are accepting the problems and are willing to change. 88 per cent of respondents agreed that increased usage of smartphones is hurting their relationship with their spouses,” said the study as quoted by the news agency PTI.
It was also found that 90 per cent of people would want to devote more leisure time to meaningful conversations with their spouses.
According to the study the respondents on average spend 4.7 hours on a smartphone per day which is the same among husbands and wives.
73 per cent of respondents also accept that their spouse complained about their overindulgence on the phone instead of spending time with him or her.
“The study reveals that 70 per cent of people get irritated when their spouse asks for something while they are immersed in their smartphones. As per the study, 66 per cent of people feel that excessive usage of smartphones has weakened their relationship with their spouse,” the study said.
While speaking about the same, Vivo India Head, Brand Strategy, Yogendra Sriramula said, “The significance of a smartphone in today’s life is undisputed however excessive usage remains an area that the users need to be cautious of. As a responsible brand, we aim to underline the importance of spending time with our loved ones, for that is the true meaning of leisure time.”
According to the findings, 69 per cent of respondents feel occasionally distracted by their smartphone, or not attentive enough to their spouse at times and 68 per cent of partners have felt guilty at some point in time for being distracted by their phone while spending time with their spouse.
Also Read: 56 foreign militants killed this year, foreign militants confined to two digits: DGP Dilbagh Singh
The study report also said that 88 per cent of respondents spend their leisure time on the smartphone, which is now a part of their behaviour, and for 90 per cent of the respondents, a smartphone is the most preferred way to relax.
Meanwhile, on average, each smartphone user has 1.5 hours of leisure time daily. Most of them like to spend their leisure time with family. However, they carry their smartphone while spending time with family.
The average amount of time spent on transactional conversation and relaxed chat is almost the same, which is close to two hours, said the study.
“Eighty-nine per cent of people feel the urge to reach out to their smartphone as soon as they get some free time. The study reveals that 88 per cent of respondents spend their leisure time on the smartphone, which is now a part of their behaviour,” the study said.
(With inputs from PTI)
