Why Phone Calls Combat Loneliness Better Than Zoom Calls
The phone is better at reducing stress, too
When it comes to technology, many of us reflexively assume newer is better. So when Covid-19 forced us into isolation a year ago, we turned to our digital devices to stay in touch with family and friends.
New research suggests our instinct to communicate via video chats and social media may not be the optimal choice. Rather, the technology that is proving most effective at reducing pandemic-induced stress and loneliness is one that was already available during the influenza outbreak of 1918: the telephone.
In a U.S. survey of almost 2,000 adults last May, participants responded to questions about their emotional health and their use of various electronic devices. The results, published in the journal Human Communication & Technology, showed that those who kept in touch with friends and family over the phone reported lower levels of stress and loneliness than those who used newer tools such as Zoom.
“Voice calls actually alleviated stress even more than face-to-face communication.”
“For combating loneliness, the effect of voice calls was really close to face-to-face,” says study author Natalie Pennington, a communications…
