Are phone calls better than texts?

After months of social distancing mandates, people are leaning heavily on technology for a sense of social connection.

But new research from The University of Texas suggests people too often opt to send email or text messages when a phone call is more likely to produce the feelings of connectedness they crave.

In the study, people chose to type because they believed a phone call would be more awkward — but they were wrong, said Amit Kumar.

“People feel significantly more connected through voice-based media, but they have these fears about awkwardness that are pushing them towards text-based media,” he said.

In one experiment, researchers asked 200 people to make predictions about what it would be like to reconnect with an old friend either via email or phone, and then they randomly assigned them to actually do it.

Even though participants intuited that a phone call would make them feel more connected, they still said they would prefer to email because they expected calling would be too awkward.

But the phone call went much better than an email, researchers found.

“When it came to actual experience, people reported they did form a significantly stronger bond with their old friend on the phone versus email, and they did not feel more awkward,” Mr Kumar said.

In another experiment, researchers randomly assigned strangers to connect either by texting during a live chat, talking over video chat, or talking using only audio.

Participants had to ask and answer a series of personal questions such as, ‘Is there something you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it?’ or ‘Can you describe a time you cried in front of another person?’

Participants didn’t expect that the media through which they communicated would matter, and in this case they also predicted that they would feel just as connected to the stranger via text as by phone.

But the researchers found when they really interacted, people felt significantly more connected when they communicated by talking than by typing. And, again, they found it wasn’t more awkward to hear each other’s voices.

In fact, the voice itself — even without visual cues — seemed to be integral to bonding, the researchers found.

Confronting another myth about voice-based media, researchers timed participants reconnecting with their old friend. They found the call took about the same amount of time as reading and responding to email.

The researchers said the results both reveal and challenge people’s assumptions about communication media at a time when managing relationships via technology is especially important, Mr Kumar said.

“We’re being asked to maintain physical distance, but we still need these social ties for our well-being — even for our health.”

Do you prefer a phone call over text messages or email? How have you been connecting with your friends?

9 comments

I prefer texting to phone calls..however sometimes it is necessary to make a call or use email.

Sending a text and following up with a call is the way I handle a lot of daily communication. Unless of course if it's our children or grandchildren, then their calls will never go unanswered.

Yes good to text and maybe call after -- see if it is a good time

I have been keeping in lots of contact with family and friends. I much prefer phone calls or Face Time because they do enhance the sense of personal connectedness. 

I prefer phone calls any day.  My sister who lives in Melbourne, and I,  can talk for hours. The longest time was

for 2 and 1/2 hours.  My other sister, who lives here in Sydney will send a text saying 'Are you home"? I reply

with a "Yes" and I eventually ring her.  We do talk for a long time as well. When you live alone any call from friends

and family is most welcome. My sons ring often but, like most men, only say what they have to, then go. . 

I am lucky my Son rings me twice a day and visits for a week at a time when he can --

My friends phone or message me to see if I have time or am not at an appointment -- I also do the same to them

I'm a dedicated email person. It's easy to type and can be edited before sending, with a permanent record if needed. And cost is negligible, lost in the monthly internet allowance. Texts are the devil's invention. Clumsy and difficult to manipulate these tiny keys, they should by consigned to history as a temporary aberration! Phone conversation is ok, but I prefer email.

:) Love all the options available these days including phone calls, video calls, texts, emails, WhatsApp, Facebook, etc, etc.

Use them all depending on the circumstances at the time and find them very handy.

"Horses for courses" as they say.

 

I have one daughter who tries to do everything by text. She lives locally and we try to get together once a week for dinner. The text to and fro can be extensive and therefore time consuming. I have tried to get through to her that a 2-3 minutes call would get us sorted for a longer catch up over dinner. My other daughter and I text each other (she is further awa) to check if either is available or for a try later? Maybe I am old? (64 :))

 

I will send an SMS first and arrange the best time to make or receive a phonecall.   

Then we talk and laugh for one hour.

A text is great to confirm or change a planned meeting. 

Catching up face to face is still the best.

9 comments



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