Your daily habits can say a lot about who you are as a person, especially when it comes to how you interact with others over the phone. The emojis you use, the way you text, and even the simple action of receiving, declining, or ignoring phone calls.
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Imagine this, you are lying on your bed talking to a person by message when they suddenly decide, without warning, to call you. You then dodge the call, and text them an excuse afterwards, because you just don't want to be on the phone. SMS, Instagram DMs, and snapchat messages are fine for you.
Why do some people choose not to pick up? And what are we trying to say with this refusal, which is particularly common in the new generations?
This is why younger generations do not pick up calls anymore
Is not talking on the phone a generational issue? Gabriele Raimondi, the president of the council of psychologists of the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy, seems to think so. She was quoted by Vice saying:
People aren’t really used to it anymore. Young people replaced calls with social media posts, texts and voice notes.
It's true, you've all had the reflex to respond with voice notes but never take the initiative to call the person directly.
To justify this paradox, the psychologist refers to the immediacy of a call. In a real-time exchange with a person, there is very little time to think about the answer and it has to suit the other person at all costs. Gabriele Raimondi explains:
The feedback is immediate, so we always run the risk of interpreting it incorrectly and reading our mistakes as the confirmation of our fears.
The pressure of answering phone calls
After the lockdowns caused by the pandemic, relationships have evolved. During these difficult times, social contact was often made through, or thanks to, the screens on smartphones. The Italian psychologist describes this phenomenon as an ‘invasion of personal space’.
As working hours have changed, so have the times for communication.
It has been more common for calls to go beyond work hours and into our private lives. Not answering the phone during a call can also be a consequence of high stress due to the fear of representation.
You imagine being in front of a crowd and it makes you nervous. Well, the fact of calling is based on the same principle.
The Italian psychologist advises to go and see a specialist if this anxiety persists.
This article was translated from Gentside FR.
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