Nowadays there are many people who while they are meeting with other people are dedicated to looking at their phone thinking that in this way they are not neglecting the people who are around them. They do not realize that answering that text message or that audio on WhatsApp will make their companions feel tremendously bad. This innocent-looking act can undermine your relationship with the person in front of you at the time.

In addition, it is necessary to know that using the phone while you are with other people, distracts you and therefore, you will not enjoy the experience of being in that present moment. Think that the people who are by your side are giving you the most precious thing they have: their time. Time never returns and that is the only reason you should value it and appreciate that important moment with those people who want to share their time with you.

You offend others and a study confirms it

When you use the phone while spending time with the people you care about, in addition to offending them, you enjoy the experience less than you would if you put away your devices. There was a study that corroborated this that we are talking about in this article.

In research from the University of British Columbia, groups of three to five friends or family members were randomly assigned to dine on or without their phones. (The group without a phone had their devices silent and placed them in a container out of reach.) After the meal , the participants answered questions about their experience.

The results? Those who had their phones close at hand enjoyed the food less than those who went offline. The phone group also reported feeling more distracted, bored, and tense. To confirm these findings, the researchers conducted a second experiment, surveying more than 100 people five times a day for a week. They asked the participants to report what they had been doing for the previous 15 minutes and how they felt. Once again, being “on the phone” when socializing hampered the experience.

When respondents engaged in face-to-face interactions, they felt more distracted and reported less enjoyment if they had been using their smartphones than if they hadn’t. Of course, when it comes to the dangers of mobile phones, this is not the worst. Before you completely unplug your phone when you are with other people, remember the following: It probably won’t ruin your social life if you occasionally use your phone at dinner, but frequent use of the phone during such social interactions could affect your well-being and social relationships with time .

Plus, by resisting the urge to check out the latest headlines or see how many new likes your Instagram post received, you could connect with your friends in a more meaningful way.  Your behavior could infect others. People are more likely to use their phones when other people around them are also using their phones, suggesting that there may be this kind of ripple effect. By putting your own phone away, you could be creating a domino with positive effect .

Putting down the phone and interacting with the people around you motivates others to do the same. Try it and you will see! You will surely be surprised with the results and you can also enjoy the experience more with others. If you are one of the people who looks at the phone over and over again when you go out with your friends, reflect and realize that doing so will only mean that you are less present and less connected with the people around you. Neither you deserve to stop enjoying the present nor your friends deserve that you pass their presence in such a blatant way.