As the pandemic (大流行病) separates us from loved ones, many of us are trying to stay connected through texting, even taking the opportunity to reconnect with long-lost friends.
But if our goal is to feel closer to people and enjoy our conversations more, we'd better pick up the phone, according to a new study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.
In the study, participants (参与者) imagined having a conversation with a friend they hadn't been in touch with for at least two years and made predictions (预测) about how it would feel to connect by phone versus (对比) email. "We think it's going to be awkward to talk to somebody, but that just turns out not to be the case," says lead author Amit Kumar. "Instead, people form stronger connection when they're talking on the phone than when communicating over email."
The same result held true when the researchers had participants do a conversation exercise with strangers using either video chatting, audio (声音的) only chatting, or text chatting. People who used media that included the voice had more satisfying exchanges and felt closer to their new friends than the text chatters.
Why? Likely it's because our voices communicate a variety of emotions, helping others to read us better and to feel like they really know us. Hearing someone's voice helps understand each other better – in some cases, even better than video chatting.
So, while texting can be useful, it's not the best way to get the most out of socializing. If we're looking for greater happiness and connection, we should give someone a call.
