Everyone is attached to their phone 24/7 these days, but fewer and fewer of us are making calls. Research shows that from an average of 15 calls a day in 2012 we were down to six in 2015. I imagine the number has only fallen more since. And when the phone does ring, many of us cringe.
A full 78 percent of Millennials told British pollsters feel anxious when their phones ring, while 40 percent of Boomers admitted to phone call anxiety, the Tribune News Service reported.
While many of us have been moaning about Zoom fatigue for months now, few have considered simply switching to the good, old-fashioned phone (despite some experts suggesting they'd feel a lot less burnt out if they did).
This reluctance to pick up the phone and call people is somewhat understandable. Compared with texts, real time conversations demand quicker thinking and risk more awkwardness. Phone calls also force us to rely solely on voice cues to get our meaning across, which can be tricky. Therefore, people should adopt the quick and regular phone calls as a daily life pattern.
But just because you can explain your phone phobia doesn't mean having one is a good idea. In fact, several new studies suggest you'd be happier if calling someone stopped being a monumental undertaking and instead became a quick, frequent part of your normal life.
Calls, for instance, are generally way less awkward than we expect them to be, according to one new study. They also leave us feeling more emotionally connected to the other party than texting.
