Which is more important to you: your phone or your partner?

Millennials are a funny bunch. It’s no surprise that the average twenty-something has their fair share of relationships and their fair share of break ups.

News just in though: according to recent research, our smart phones are becoming more important to us than our partners.

In fact, Mancunians are only having five minutes of quality conversation with their loved ones each day.

A survey by shopping comparison site uk.shopping.fm found that some people love their phones almost as much as their partners and are unable to switch off.

Of the 3,000 people in relationships surveyed, 89% of Mancunians in a relationship of two years or more admitted to spending just five minutes each evening having quality conversation (compared to 79% of Brummies and 72% of Londoners).

76% of Mancunians in the early years of a relationship (1-2 years) spend a much healthier 30 minutes.

“The phone is such a distraction and relationship killer for so many people,” says relationship expert Elvin Perez from Marriage Mapping.

“Couples often admit to us that that they are more interested in their Facebook, Instagram and SnapChat feeds than their loved ones.”

Elvin revealed five ways to improve our conversation and relationship skills:

Put your phone away

“We advise our couples to store their phone away or put it on charge in a room that they won’t be in that evening. If it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind and you can concentrate on engaging with your partner on a much deeper level.”

Set VIPs

“Turn all notifications off and only allow VIPs to message you, that way you’ll still be connected, but with only the most important people in your life.”

Slowly, slowly

“The ‘missing out’ online syndrome is huge so instead of going cold turkey, start off slowly and limit yourself to switching off at a certain hour. Keep edging those time frames back and within no time you’ll be over the separation anxiety.”

Set rules

“Our philosophy is ‘lead with love’. Remember why you set up home together or even decided to get married – because you wanted to be with that person. Remember that when the urge to scroll is luring you back!”

Every night can be a date night

“Plan something in the week to distract you from the phone. Cook together, try a new wine or make it a special family get together. It’s all about getting creative in the evenings so that the phone doesn’t take over.”

“It’s a sad fact that after year two in a relationship, the amount of time couples talk to each other reduces dramatically,” Elvin concludes. “It’s when the honeymoon period is officially over and a real life partnership begins.”

So why not pick up a bunch of flowers on the way home and switch the phone off for a while.