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Cited by 162Attachment and Relationship DynamicsImpact of Technology on AdolescentsEvolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 132 of the 132 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Smartphones and Close Relationships: The Case for an Evolutionary Mismatch

Sbarra, David A., Briskin, Julia L., Slatcher, Richard B.·2019·Perspectives on Psychological Science
DOI 10.1177/1745691619826535
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Abstract

This article introduces and outlines the case for an evolutionary mismatch between smartphones and the social behaviors that help form and maintain close social relationships. As psychological adaptations that enhance human survival and inclusive fitness, self-disclosure and responsiveness evolved in the context of small kin networks to facilitate social bonds, promote trust, and enhance cooperation. These adaptations are central to the development of attachment bonds, and attachment theory is a middle-level evolutionary theory that provides a robust account of the ways human bonding provides for reproductive and inclusive fitness. Evolutionary mismatches operate when modern contexts cue ancestral adaptations in a manner that does not provide for their adaptive benefits. We argue that smartphones and their affordances, although highly beneficial in many circumstances, cue humans’ evolved needs for self-disclosure and responsiveness across broad virtual networks and, in turn, have the potential to undermine immediate interpersonal interactions. We review emerging evidence on the topic of technoference, which is defined as the ways in which smartphone use may interfere with or intrude into everyday social interactions. The article concludes with an empirical agenda for advancing the integrative study of smartphones, intimacy processes, and close relationships.

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Crossref · 10.1177/1745691619826535

Cites

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Citations

Cites

Show all 132 references

Research works printed but not linked: 12

  1. Bailenson J., 2018, Experience on demand: How virtual reality is, how it works, and what it can do
  2. 10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497 · DOI · Paper page
  3. Brenner S. L., 2015, Journal of Evolutionary Medicine, 30, 32
  4. Derlega V. J., 1993, Self-disclosure
  5. Emler N., 1994, Good gossip, 117
  6. Gardner W. L., 2005, The social outcast: Ostracism, social exclusion, rejection, and bullying, 227
  7. Hazan C., 2004, Adult attachment: New directions and emerging issues, 55
  8. Kelley H. H., 1983, Close relationships, 20
  9. Reis H. T., 1988, Handbook of personal relationships, 367
  10. Tamir D. I., 2015, The psychology of desire, 432
  11. Turkle S., 2011, Alone together: Why we expect more from technology and less from ourselves
  12. Twenge J., 2017, Igen: The 10 trends shaping today’s young people—and the nation

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Metadata

Authors
Sbarra, D. A., Briskin, J. L., & Slatcher, R. B.
Affiliations
  • University of Arizona (US)
  • Wayne State University (US)
Corresponding author
Sbarra, David A.
ORCID
Venue
Perspectives on Psychological Science
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2019-04-19
Volume
14
Issue
4
Pages
596-618
ISSN
  • 1745-6916 (ISSN-L)
  • 1745-6924
DOI
10.1177/1745691619826535
OpenAlex
W2902638667
Semantic Scholar
f02a1245ac9c7b9b4e17fb55933afa073ac1fcea
Cited by
162
References
132
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 41 · 2019: 3
FWCI
2.88
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • Perspectives on Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UA Campus Repository (The University of Arizona) (acceptedVersion)
  • OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
Keywords
smartphones, close relationships, evolutionary mismatch, technoference, self-disclosure, responsiveness, attachment theory, intimacy, social interaction, inclusive fitness, family networks, social networking sites
MeSH terms
Smartphone, Biological Evolution, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Object Attachment, Social Behavior, Trust

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