Abstract:

Given the widespread use of smartphones in daily life, phubbing has become increasingly prevalent, posing a potential threat to interpersonal relationships. Therefore, it is essential to explore the effectiveness of mitigation strategies against phubbing on impression evaluation. In this study, 191 participants were randomly assigned to three different conditions: a pre-informed group, a not pre-informed group, and a no mobile phone use group. Following the simulated interactions, face threat, perceived relationship devaluation, and impression evaluation were measured. The key findings are as follows: (1) Both the pre-informed and not pre-informed groups exhibited lower ratings for impression evaluation of phubbers compared to the no mobile phone use group; (2) Among these, the pre-informed group offered a more positive impression evaluation of the phubbers than the not pre-informed group; (3) Furthermore, face threat and perceived relationship devaluation functioned as complete chain mediators in the relationship between pre-informed behavior and impression evaluation. In conclusion, these results suggest that the strategy of pre-informing others about smartphone use may effectively mitigate the negative impression evaluation associated with phubbing, offering theoretical insights and practical guidance on the appropriate use of smartphones in real-life interactions.

Key words: phubbing, face threat, perceived relationship devaluation, impression evaluation, pre-informed