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Digital tools make it easier to keep in touch across distance, busy schedules, disability, and other barriers. But a message, call, and shared physical experience are not interchangeable. Pandemic-era studies found that face-to-face interaction was associated with well-being and, in the interaction types examined, often outperformed virtual alternatives. They also found benefits associated with calls and messaging. The useful conclusion is not that online contact is bad or that everyone must meet more often: it is that different ways of connecting can serve different needs, and in-person contact may add something when it is feasible and wanted.
What face-to-face contact adds—and what the evidence can establish
Being together in person means sharing a physical setting, not only exchanging information. People may notice one another’s expressions, pauses, tone, gestures, and reactions as they happen. The surroundings and activity can also become part of the encounter: eating together, walking, making something, or simply occupying the same room. Digital communication can carry some of these cues, especially in a video call, but a text message, voice call, group call, and in-person conversation each provide a different format.
That distinction matters because “digital contact” is not one uniform experience. A short message, a long voice call, and a group video gathering differ in effort, immediacy, and the kind of interaction they allow. Likewise, “in person” can mean a relaxed conversation with someone trusted or an uncomfortable, unsafe, or unwanted encounter. The evidence does not justify treating every physical meeting as beneficial or every digital exchange as deficient.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThe strongest comparisons in the available studies come from an unusual period: the COVID-19 pandemic, when restrictions disrupted normal social routines and virtual contact became especially important. Those studies show associations and observed differences between forms of interaction. They do not establish a universal rule for ordinary life, prove that one mode causes well-being, or prescribe how often anyone should meet others.
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What pandemic-era studies found
A multinational survey during restrictions
Martha Newson and colleagues surveyed 6,436 participants across countries during COVID-19 restrictions. Computer-mediated communication was more common than face-to-face contact in the circumstances they studied. Face-to-face contact was positively associated with well-being, while messaging-app use had a negative association. Household perceived vulnerability moderated the positive association between face-to-face contact and well-being.
These results describe patterns in an observational survey, not a controlled experiment. They cannot show that messaging apps harmed participants or that in-person contact alone produced better well-being. The setting also matters: restrictions changed people’s opportunities to meet, their concerns, and how they used digital communication. It would be an overreach to apply the survey’s messaging result to every person, every kind of online contact, or life after restrictions.
The publication timeline is another reminder of the pandemic context: the survey paper first appeared online in December 2021 and was later included in a 2024 journal issue. The key point is not the issue date, but that the observations came from the exceptional conditions of COVID-19 restrictions. Household perceived vulnerability also matters as a qualification: the positive association between face-to-face contact and well-being varied with participants’ perception of vulnerability in their household. The finding does not establish what a particular person should do if they or someone close to them faces health risks.
Two studies comparing interaction formats
Nathan Liang, Samantha J. Grayson, Mia A. Kussman, Judith N. Mildner, and Diana I. Tamir reported two studies in Computers in Human Behavior Reports in 2024. The first followed virtual interactions and well-being across three waves from May 2020 to 2021, with 996 participants. The second sampled interactions and well-being three times a day for two weeks, with 249 participants.
In these studies, voice calls, group calls, and online messaging were associated with increased connection and positive affect. Face-to-face interactions showed greater benefits than the virtual alternatives tested. The authors summarize the comparison this way: “Face-to-face interactions outperform all virtual ones in improving well-being.” That statement refers to the interaction types and pandemic-era studies they examined; it should not be read as a law that every in-person encounter improves well-being or that virtual communication has no value.
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Taken together, the survey and interaction studies support a balanced reading. In-person contact was meaningfully associated with well-being in the studied circumstances, while several virtual formats also supported positive feelings or connection. The results distinguish relative benefits in particular comparisons; they do not rank every possible conversation or tell an individual which format will work best on a given day.
It helps to keep the measured outcomes distinct. The Liang studies discuss positive affect and perceived connection around interactions; the Newson survey examines an association with well-being; and the broader health review discussed below summarizes health outcomes across many prior reviews. These are related ideas, but they are not interchangeable measures. A result about feeling connected during or after an interaction is not by itself evidence of a long-term health effect, and a broad association between disconnection and health is not a head-to-head test of text versus an in-person meeting.
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Online contact can keep relationships active when people cannot meet because of distance, time, disability, health, safety, caregiving, cost, or personal preference. A message can make a small check-in possible without arranging a visit. A voice call can carry vocal tone and allow a more sustained exchange. A group call can bring several people together across locations. These formats are not merely substitutes to be tolerated: the Liang studies found associations between calls and messaging and positive affect or connection.
Digital contact can also help maintain continuity between in-person encounters. Friends or relatives who see one another infrequently can share updates, coordinate plans, and remain part of each other’s everyday lives through short exchanges. A remote conversation may be the most accessible form of contact for someone managing pain, fatigue, limited mobility, social anxiety, or a demanding schedule. Whether it feels supportive depends on the people involved and the situation, rather than on the device alone.
The pandemic survey’s negative association for messaging deserves particular care. It does not establish that messaging causes distress. People who were isolated or struggling may have relied more heavily on messages, and the restrictive context shaped both social opportunities and well-being. The finding is a reason to avoid assuming that message volume automatically equals meaningful connection—not a reason to condemn messaging or to withdraw a useful way of keeping in touch.
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Why connection matters beyond momentary mood
Well-being in an interaction study is not the same thing as long-term physical health. A separate 2021 rapid narrative umbrella review in BMJ Open brought together 25 meta-analyses: 10 focused on physical health and 15 on mental health. Across this broad and varied literature, social disconnection was associated with multiple adverse outcomes.
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This review provides context for why social connection is worth taking seriously, but it does not predict what will happen to a particular person. Its evidence synthesizes associations across different outcomes and prior reviews; it does not show that one coffee, visit, club meeting, or call prevents disease. Nor does it establish that being physically present is necessary for connection. It supports attention to connection as part of health, without turning a general relationship into an individual medical promise.
The sensory dimension of physical experience
In-person experiences can include sensory information that a text or voice call does not carry in the same way. People may share a meal, move through a place together, or respond to the same sounds and surroundings. Touch is one possible part of physical experience, but it should be discussed separately from social contact: not everyone wants touch, and being face-to-face does not imply that touch is appropriate or necessary.
A 2024 systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis on touch interventions included 137 studies in its meta-analysis and 75 additional studies in its systematic review, covering 12,966 individuals in total. It reported benefits for selected outcomes, including reduced pain and anxiety in adults in touch-intervention studies. These findings concern defined touch interventions and outcomes. They do not show that all touch is beneficial, that socializing has the same effects, or that touch is required for a meaningful in-person experience. Consent, comfort, culture, and individual circumstances matter.
It is therefore more accurate to say that physical presence can offer sensory and situational dimensions that some digital formats do not reproduce, while recognizing that those dimensions are not automatically helpful to everyone. The value of an encounter depends on its quality and fit, not simply on whether people share a room.
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How to choose a way to connect
Rather than treating online and in-person interaction as competing categories, choose a format around the purpose of the contact and the people taking part. These questions can help:
- What is the goal? A quick update may suit a message; a conversation that needs vocal nuance may suit a call; a shared activity may be more rewarding in person if that option works for everyone.
- What can each person access? Consider distance, mobility, fatigue, time, technology, privacy, safety, caregiving duties, and cost. Do not make physical attendance a test of whether someone cares.
- What does the relationship prefer? Ask whether the other person would rather text, talk, meet, or combine formats. A format that feels connecting to one person may feel tiring or intrusive to another.
- Would a shared activity help? When feasible and welcome, doing something together—such as walking, cooking, or attending an event—can make the encounter more than an exchange of updates. The studies cited here do not establish that any particular activity is superior.
- Is the contact wanted and safe? In-person interaction is not inherently positive. Respect boundaries, and use a remote option or decline a meeting when that is the better choice.
A practical approach is to keep the useful channels open, then make room for physical experiences when they suit the people involved. For example, someone might use messages to stay in touch during the week, a call for a longer conversation, and an occasional in-person visit when travel and access allow. That is an illustration, not a research-backed schedule or a prescription. The studies do not identify a universal minimum frequency of face-to-face contact.
What not to conclude from the findings
- They do not prove causation. The survey and interaction findings are associations observed in pandemic-era conditions, not guarantees that a particular mode will change an individual’s well-being.
- They do not show that all digital communication is alike. The studies distinguish formats such as messaging, voice calls, and group calls; their results should not be flattened into “online contact.”
- They do not make in-person contact universally desirable. Safety, health, comfort, access, and personal preference can make remote contact the better choice.
- They do not supply a required social quota. The evidence summarized here does not specify how many visits or hours of contact a person needs.
- They do not turn broad health associations into medical advice. The umbrella review and touch-intervention analysis cover varied evidence and outcomes; neither shows that a specific social activity prevents illness.
The most defensible takeaway is modest but useful: digital communication can sustain relationships and bring people together across barriers, while face-to-face experiences may offer additional value when they are accessible, safe, and wanted. Keeping both options available is more responsive to real lives than insisting that one mode should replace the other.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Frequently Asked Questions
Do the studies show that messaging apps are bad for well-being?
No. In a multinational survey of 6,436 people during COVID-19 restrictions, messaging-app use had a negative association with well-being, while face-to-face contact had a positive association. Because it was an observational study in unusual circumstances, it does not show that messaging caused distress or that the result applies to every person or kind of digital contact. Other pandemic-era studies found that messaging, voice calls, and group calls were associated with positive affect or connection.
Did researchers find that in-person contact is always better than a call or video chat?
The 2024 Liang and colleagues studies found that face-to-face interactions had greater well-being benefits than the virtual formats examined. The studies took place during the pandemic, and their comparison is not a universal rule for every relationship or encounter. Calls and online messaging were also associated with positive affect and connection in those studies.
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How often should I meet people in person?
The research summarized here does not establish a required frequency, minimum number of visits, or social quota. The practical choice depends on what people want and can access, including health, safety, distance, time, disability, caregiving, and cost.
Does the touch research mean touch is necessary for a meaningful social experience?
No. The 2024 review examined touch interventions and reported benefits for selected outcomes, including pain and anxiety in adults. Those results cannot be generalized to every kind of touch or to socializing as a whole. Touch is not required for face-to-face connection, and comfort and consent matter.
Does social connection research prove that meeting someone prevents illness?
No. A 2021 umbrella review of 25 meta-analyses found social disconnection associated with multiple adverse physical and mental health outcomes across a varied literature. It does not show that a particular visit, activity, or call prevents disease, or predict an individual reader’s health.
The Bottom Line
Digital communication can sustain relationships across distance and other barriers, and studies also suggest that face-to-face interaction may add value in the circumstances examined. The evidence is largely pandemic-era and does not establish a universal rule or schedule. Choose ways to connect that are accessible, safe, and welcome—and leave room for in-person experiences when they fit.
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