Please explain to me why I prefer communicating via email than

[Raven]

by telephone. Specifically, I'm in a "relationship" and we "talk" everyday, several times a day via email. I really like that and I can't figure out why. Any thoughts?

[KamaAina]

1. Same deal here

except for the relationship. :(

Then again, I'm a person with autism, which ought to give you some pause. :-)

[Mojambo]

2. It's safer

You're less likely to say something stupid, or perhaps more importantly in a relationship context, something you don't want to say or are afraid to say. It's a buffer.

Have you had commitment issues in relationships in the past?

Or perhaps you just don't like talking on the phone. I'm kinda that way myself.

[Bunny]

3. I'm the same way. I really don't like talking on the phone very much.

Maybe email's better because you can think about what you want to say, or what's been said to you, before you respond.

[alarimer]

4. I find it easier to express myself in writing than verbally.

I can edit emails, while I cannot edit voice communications.

[Fleshdancer]

5. probably because you put a lot of thought in what you write.

I have absolutely nothing to back up my theory, but I think your preference is a sign of intelligence. If I think back on all the people I've known and categorize them by phone people and writers, the writers are usually much smarter.

Obviously this isn't scientific, but this is what my experience tells me.

[Curmudgeoness]

6. I like it because I don't get interrupted in mid-thought by

the other person, and then lose the thought. And I don't try to interrupt the person, which I so often unintentionally do (ADD to the max, if you ask me, but too old to have been diagnosed). I also hate having a phone up to my ear for very long, and like to get up and walk around, do other things, right in the middle of writing an email.

I am just so surprised that anyone else feels this way. With everyone on the phone 24/7, I thought I was alone here.

[david13]

7. I never lose my thoughts on the phone. I am good on the phone.

But with email, first I type over 200 wpm. And I enjoy it. And I can stop, edit, rephrase, etc.
And it sits til it is read. Phone, well, leave a message, call back, not there, etc.
More precise, more concise, no interrupting, unless it's to get more milk and cookies, ice cream bar, etc.
So, why? Preference.
dc

[NV Whino]

8. I'm a visual person rather than a verbal person

Give me e-mail any day. I hate talking on the phone.

[NJCher]

9. I dislike the unedited thoughts of others

Which is what most verbal conversation is.

I have two phones, a landline and a cell, but I tell people to email me and please not to call.

It bores me to have to listen to phone messages. It's grossly inefficient, too, as far as time is concerned. Sometimes I can't understand what a person is saying and when it's their phone number I can't understand, that can be a real problem.

The phone tag thing is annoying, too. All that is eliminated with email.

So maybe you think this person is worth editing your thoughts for, yes? :)


Cher

[guitar man]

10. I like it because

It allows me to communicate in my own good time. I get an email, read it, think about it, maybe get a cup of coffee, something to eat...whatever. Then when I'm ready I'll sit down and bang out a reply. It doesn't require the immediate off the cuff response that verbal communication does.

[jobycom]

11. Depends. How do you feel about texting and live chatting?

If you prefer emails over all of those, it's probably a control thing. You can read and answer at your own pace, instead of having to be captive to the conversation.

If you like live chatting, though, you are still captive to the conversation, so maybe it's the editability of text that you prefer, or maybe just the comfort of a little privacy from having to perform--smile, laugh, do all the fake stuff we do when we talk to people. A lot of times writing can be more natural, if you are a decent writer.

I hate phones. Two reasons--one has to do with a fear of phone calls when my father worked a dangerous job when I was a kid, so I always hated to hear them ring (Plus I answered my phone the time my best friend's father called to tell my parents he was dead, and I heard that something was wrong in his voice--both of those made me afraid of phones). The second reason is related, somewhat. I can't read a person on the phone. In face to face, I can see their emotions, I can brace for bad news based on their expression, I can read their body language and tell what they think of me or what I'm saying, and adjust properly. Most communication in a conversation is non-verbal, but the phone cuts out the non-verbal, so I never feel like I'm on sure footing, and I'm always afraid of a sudden jolt I didn't see coming--like the news of my friend's death.

So if it's not in person, I like writing more. People in emails and texts set up their mood a little more clearly.

Just my thoughts.

[Paper Roses]

12. I spent a good part of my life on the phone.

My job was to sell advertising space in various magazines. When the phone rings at home now, I cringe. Except to my family, I'd much rather send an e-mail. It is quick and easy. No endless chat about something about which you have no interest.

I have also become very good at interrupting solicitors with a quick no thank you and hang up. If I remember quickly enough, I'll include 'please take me off your list'. I don't know if that works but it makes me feel better. I do feel sorry for those who try and earn a living on the phone. Been there and it is not easy.

Good thing I don't sell ad space any more. It has to be even more difficult now.