1 in 10 Brit couples only chat by email or text

LONDON - A new study has revealed that one in 10 Britons spends more time talking to other halves on the phone, by email, or by text than in person.

Longer hours at work are blamed for couples now spending less than an hour a day talking while together, with one in five of Brits spending just 15 minutes a day chatting in person, reports the Daily Mail.

Instead, people communicate through technology such as mobiles or emails, which give the appearance of intimacy but are actually a barrier to real contact.

The survey, by insurance company esure, found that the average couple sends a whopping 1,002 texts and almost 400 emails to each other a year.

Women send more texts with an average of two a day, while 12 per cent admitted to sending six or more.

And of the 1,000 people questioned, 13 per cent admitted checking Facebook to keep track of what their partner is up to.

The survey found that, excluding time asleep, the average couple now spends just three hours and 45 minutes together in the week, of which 51 minutes is spent in silence in front of the TV and 37 minutes carrying out chores.

More than a quarter (27 per cent) of couples said they did not get the chance to have a proper chat until the weekend.

The poll also revealed that 41 per cent of couples sent texts, emails or used social networking sites to relay messages to each other rather than speaking. (ANI)