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Each week on Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke, explore different aspects of human behavior and the brain.

What is Texting and Email Doing to Face-to-Face Communication?

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How does immediate mobile contact affect our relationships in real life?

If you live in the modern world – as you most likely do – you’re probably seen it: two people standing next to each other, engrossed in text conversations happening on their mobile devices, while oblivious to each other or anything else happening around them. 

Does that common occurrence make you reminisce about the good old days of landlines? You’re not alone. Many people pine for simplicity in this new world of immediate contact – all possible through our nifty mobile gadgets. 

You can never be out of reach, never out of touch – and yet, you can stay constantly isolated in your own mobile, virtual world, blissfully unengaged in real time interaction with live people around you.

How does this new technology of immediate mobile contact influence and affect our relationships with real people, in real time, in real life? 

Well, there’s benefits and drawbacks. As usual, the Two Guys on Your Head have some interesting insight.

This post was originally published on November 11, 2013.

Rebecca McInroy is an award-winning show creator, host, and executive producer for KUT, KUTX, and KUT.ORG.
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