A recent study from researchers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, confirms what we now know in our exhausted hearts: video calls, texts, social media, even phone calls are a great supplement to face-to-face interactions, but they aren’t a substitute.
Contrary to what you might expect, the more sophisticated the technology, the less it satisfies our need for connection.
Researchers reported that the humble phone call was associated with decreases in stress, loneliness, and relationship difficulties. Meanwhile, video chats were associated with increased stress, loneliness, and difficulties in maintaining relationships. I get it, we’re less self-conscious on the phone, and you can multitask and talk–maybe fold laundry or eat or both. With video, that uncanny valley of almost being there tends to make you long for the real thing.
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