The Communication Studies department is proud to recognize Juhyung Sun and Dr. Jennifer Samp, who recently had their work on interpersonal relationships and technology featured in Science Daily. Research conducted by Juhyung Sun and Dr. Jennifer Samp in the UGA Communication Studies Department investigates personality and mental health characteristics associated with phone snubbing or "phubbing" in social settings. Phubbing can be a common behavior, but it does have serious consequences for interpersonal relationships. The study by Sun and Dr. Samp finds that depression and social anxiety, as well as personality traits like neuroticism are associated with higher rates of phubbing. These findings provide important framework for future research investigating how phubbing behaviors shift after the COVID-19 pandemic. “People relied heavily on phones and other technologies to stay connected during the pandemic,” Samp said. “For many, staying connected in a more distanced manner via texts and video messaging was more comfortable than face-to-face interaction. Will people – particularly anxious ones – still phubb when physically reunited? Time will tell.”
