Screens as the ‘other’ in intimate partnerships

Digital addiction erodes emotional connection and attentive communication in intimate partnerships.

Smartphones deliver dopamine hits through intermittent reinforcement, keeping users hooked.

Addiction expert Anna Lembke compares the smartphone to a hypodermic needle delivering an opiate hit.

Screen use reduces authentic human connection, limiting oxytocin release from eye contact, non-verbal cues, and touch.

In couples like Ravi and Priya, screen avoidance can create a pursuer-distancer dynamic, harming intimacy.