Is technology bad for our interpersonal skills? - Fox 2 News Headlines

By Deena Centofanti
Fox 2 News

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WJBK) -- Take a look around these days.  When you see people communicating, it's often not with each other but with an electronic device.  Beaumont psychiatrist Howard Belkin believes technology is killing our interpersonal skills.

"They interfere with the interpersonal relationship.  They interfere with the one-on-one relationship and the live social, trusting, understand relationship that we all strive to have with another person," he said.

The Pew Research Center did a study asking does social media cause social isolation?  The results found that social media users do not have more or less friends.  In fact, Facebook users did have more close friends.

Some would argue, virtually, we've never been more connected, but it's hard to believe that it's not impacting our face-to-face skills.

"The ability to look someone in the eye.  The ability to read someone's body posture and body mannerisms, and to carry on a full, kind of intimate relationship with somebody just on a one-on-one basis.  It's how we build relationships.  It's how we meet our mate.  It's how we teach our children and other people how to become loving human beings," said Belkin.

So what's the solution?  Come up with some phone free zones or low tech times of the day.  For example, at the dinner table or maybe at a restaurant make sure everyone puts their device away and then let the conversation start flowing.