While you know that looking through your partner’s phone is a breach of trust, you may not realize just how serious it is. A new study has revealed that in a huge number of cases, snooping can actually end your relationship altogether.
- Roughly 50% of relationships end after phone snooping. A new study performed by the University of British Columbia and the University of Lisbon analyzed data collected from 201 participants in regards to how snooping on a partner’s phone or having a partner snoop through theirs affected their relationship. Of the 46 people who reported experiencing either scenario, about half of them admitted that the relationships ended. (It should be noted that some of these relationships were platonic rather than romantic, though that hardly makes a difference.)
- It’s a big concern for people in all kinds of relationships, whether platonic or romantic. As the researchers wrote, “Smartphones are highly personal devices. Those who access our smartphones can and the digitized minutiae of our existence — information which may not be interesting to anyone, except to ourselves, and to those closest to us,” the study authors wrote. “The possibility of unauthorized access by ‘insiders’ is, for smartphone users, a common concern.”
- It’s easy to see why it’s such a big deal breaker—how can you trust someone who breaches it? Understandably, many people find it difficult to continue a relationship when someone violates your trust in such a massive way. While some people do manage to move on and repair their relationship, those who end things have every reason to. As study author Ivan Beschastnikh, a professor of computer science at UBC, said in a press release, “In cases where the relationship ended, it was either because the phone owner felt their trust was betrayed or the relationship was also experiencing difficulties. Another main reason was the relationship was not that strong or important to begin with, as was the case with two work friends where one stole valuable contact information from the other’s cellphone.”
- Those who manage to move past the betrayal aren’t necessarily doing so for good reasons. In such cases, the victim explained away the snooping by considering it as a sign that they should reassure their romantic partner about their commitment to the relationship,” Beschastnikh admitted. “They ended up excusing the behavior and, in some cases, continued to give the other person access to their phone.” Yikes!
- Respect yourself and your partner/friend/sibling/whoever NOT to snoop. Seriously, that’s the bottom line here. If you think someone has something to hide, have a direct conversation with them about it rather than stooping to the underhanded option of snooping. No good can come of it and you’ll likely live to regret your decision.
[H/T Bustle]
