Too much texting can disconnect couples

(Press-News.org) Contact information: Joe Hadfield
joe_hadfield@byu.edu
801-422-9206
Brigham Young University
Too much texting can disconnect couples Couples shouldn't let their thumbs do the talking when it comes to serious conversations, disagreements or apologies.

Brigham Young University researchers Lori Schade and Jonathan Sandberg studied 276 young adults around the country and found that being constantly connected through technology can create some disconnects in committed relationships.

Here are a few highlights from the report they published this week in the Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy:

For women: Using text messages to apologize, work out differences or make decisions is associated with lower relationship quality For men: Too frequent texting is associated with lower relationship quality For all: Expressing affection via text enhances the relationship

"Technology is more important to relationship formation than it was previously," said Schade, who earned her Ph.D. from BYU in August. "The way couples text is having an effect on the relationship as well."

The study participants weren't just casually dating – 38 percent said they were in a serious relationship, 46 percent were engaged and 16 percent were married. Each participant completed an extensive relationship assessment that included questions about their use of technology in the relationship.

About 82 percent of them traded text messages with their partner multiple times a day. And it's not always "I END