Duh: Connecting With People Face-To-Face Makes Most People Happier Than Connecting Online

from the but-so-what dept

Tue, May 11th 2010 7:17pm — Mike Masnick

Well, here's yet another useless study. Apparently, someone had to do some research to find out that, for most people, it's more preferable to spend time face-to-face with others, rather than just online via social networks and the like:

Almost two-fifths, or 40 percent, of those surveyed said catching up with their loved ones after work was the happiest time of their day, while more than 20 percent said they were happiest when eating with their families.

By contrast, only 5 percent said they were happiest when connecting with friends online, and even less -- 2 percent -- said the first text message of the day made them joyful.

Well, duh. I don't think this should surprise anyone -- but it's also rather meaningless. The thing that makes us "most happy" doesn't mean that other stuff isn't important and isn't worthwhile. And, none of this is mutually exclusive. I know that my ability to stay in touch with certain people online makes the time we spend in person more enjoyable as well. These sorts of studies about what makes you "most" happy or "least" happy really don't provide very much useful information, because the focus should be on the overall equation, not the single item at the top of the list.

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Filed Under: face to face

12 Comments

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ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 11 May 2010 @ 7:19pm

The Post Office is EVIL!
I like getting a phone call more than a letter. Why is the government making me unhappy!
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- Bubba Gump (profile), 11 May 2010 @ 7:39pm
  
  Re: The Post Office is EVIL!
  I submitted the form (verbally over the phone, of course) so you will now receive all mail over the phone. Someone from the post office will call you and read your mail out loud to you. This is called "Service of Envelope Extension" (S.E.X.) .
  
  Note that you will be charged a service fee of $4.95 per minute for the Phone S.E.X. operator.
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  - ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 12 May 2010 @ 6:48am
    
    Re: Re: The Post Office is EVIL!
    Well, that was going great until they got to my phone bill. Then it went recursive.
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Paul Alan Levy (profile), 11 May 2010 @ 8:07pm

Not meaningless or useless....
Somebody's gonna get tenure for this study -- useful and meaningful for the author :-)
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- Allen (profile), 11 May 2010 @ 11:39pm
  
  Re: Not meaningless or useless....
  You could argue that obvious hypotheses need to be validated too, I suppose...
  
  Nah, someone with tenure was behind on their published papers KPI. Surely not even in these fallen days could someone get tenure for make busy work?
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Anonymous Coward, 11 May 2010 @ 8:19pm

just dont tell those people pushing online business meetings. they wouldnt want to hear it.
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- Anonymous Coward, 11 May 2010 @ 8:48pm
  
  Re:
  Uh, this study is about people who you WANT to see.
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Anonymous Coward, 11 May 2010 @ 8:33pm

Online Business Meetings are the exception
No one wants to see those people face to face
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Rob Crompton, 12 May 2010 @ 2:17am

online business meetings
A 200 mile round trip to spend all day face to face with fellow committee members doesn't make me very much happier than I would be if I could do it all in just half an hour online.
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Pickle Monger (profile), 12 May 2010 @ 7:25am

Apples and oranges
"Almost two-fifths, or 40 percent, of those surveyed said catching up with their loved ones after work was the happiest time of their day, while more than 20 percent said they were happiest when eating with their families."

Would the reverse work? Would less people prefer connecting online with their loved ones than catching up with friends after work?
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jjmsan (profile), 12 May 2010 @ 8:20am

Coca Cola Study
I am not sure that a study base on Coca-Cola's happiness barometer would be good for your tenure chance. This was a press release and had nothing about the survey questions or how the respondants were chosen. It also says Mexican people are the world's happiest.( US is 6th)
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bloomsoft7, 24 May 2010 @ 3:45am

com
EARN GLOBAL MONEY shows you different earning programs from all over the globe and help people to earn money from different earning program owned by different organizations. click here
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