Type, don’t phone.
That’s the basic message behind a new study conducted by Sacramento State Management Information Systems Professor Taylor M. Wells and Alan R. Dennis, the John T. Chambers Chair of Internet Systems at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.
Their study, “To Email or Not to Email: The Impact of Media on Psychophysiological Responses and Emotional Content in Utilitarian and Romantic Communication,” reveals that an email packs more emotional punch than a voice message, whether it’s a romantic missive or a business exchange.
Previously, it was believed that voicemail was a more intimate method to reach out to someone, but now, especially with millennials, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
“When writing romantic emails, senders consciously or subconsciously added more positive content to their messages, perhaps to compensate for the medium’s inability to convey vocal tone,” the two write in the study.
A voice message is recorded in one take. But an email allows the sender to modify the message’s content to make sure it satisfies the needs of the situation, meaning the sender may think more deeply about how it is composed.
The same holds true for messages covering more mundane matters. Emails induce stronger psychophysiological responses.
The idea for this approach came about when the two Management Information Systems researchers were primarily studying how individuals and teams use technology in business communication and decision-making. One day, they wondered how personal and romantic communication would differ from the utilitarian, business-focused communication they typically study.
“This study challenges the idea that email shouldn’t be used for the communication of emotion and shows that people physically respond differently when using different technologies to communicate,” Wells says.
Wells received his Ph.D. from Indiana University and taught at the University of Arizona before joining the faculty at Sacramento State two years ago. His research focuses on understanding how individual behavior, cognition, and emotion are influenced by the use of information technologies.
The new study has been accepted for publication in Computers in Human Behavior. To view the study in its entirety, visit http://bit.ly/1hyOpVi. For more information, contact Wells at taylor.wells@csus.edu. For media assistance, call Sacramento State’s Public Affairs office at (916) 278-6156. — Craig Koscho
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