Search Here

Sending instant messages may be easy and convenient, but it really doesn't help you feel as better as talking, says a new study.

Researchers from University of Wisconsin, Madison, found that the hormones that play an important role in stress management tilted in a positive way when people spoke about their feelings rather than texted them. The study was based on a group of girls who were having a conversation with their mothers about a problem, either over the phone or through texting, HealthDay reported.

The study was recently presented at the Society of Personality and Social Psychology in New Orleans.

"We're not really sure why, but maybe hearing that voice is special. Hearing someone's voice is not only able to convey tone and sincerity, but also identity," said study author Leslie Seltzer, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of psychology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, reported HealthDay.

In the study, researchers assessed the levels of cortisol - the stress hormone, or oxytocin - the love hormone, in a group of 68 girls who got to either talk to their mothers after a stressful test or text them. Also, a group of girls weren't allowed to talk or text their mothers after the test.

Researchers found that girls who talked to their mothers had lower levels of stress hormone cortisol and higher levels of oxytocin, whereas the levels of stress hormone in girls who texted their mothers were just the same as the ones who didn't get to talk to their mothers.

The study is now published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior and can be found here.