The Power of the Voice
Image by EronsPics via Flickr
Texting is so convenient many of us regularly substitute it for voice or even face to face conversations. An interesting study was conducted recently at the University of Wisconsin on the soothing effect of the voice over texting and instant messaging.
According to the study, when girls who were feeling stressed by a test talked with their moms, their stress hormones decreased and comfort hormones increased. When the girls communicated with mom via text, nothing happened. The study concluded several possible reasons but ultimately suggested the tones, intonations, and rhythms of mom’s voice trigger soothing effects, rather than her specific words.You can read more on the study from wired.com here.
Other recent studies have shown that teenagers prefer communicating face to face over texting and phone conversations. That says a lot considering unlimited texting plans are almost a requirement for teens.
“It doesn’t matter how many smiley faces you put in your IM. It’s not going to have the same effect as talking in person,” said Leslie Seltzer, lead author of the UW study. Definitely food for thought whether you’re a parent or not.
Related articles
- Power of Mom’s Voice Scilenced by Instant Messages (wired.com)
- Texting is killing real business communication (finance.fortune.cnn.com)
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