Technology Breeding Fear of Face To Face Contact Says New Survey

50% of respondents have found face to face contact with others difficult

· 1 in 8 said they had missed out on a great opportunity such as a new job or a business deal because they were worried about meeting someone face to face

· Feeling intimidated by someone; fear of being judged; and a lack of confidence in appearance are the top reasons for finding face to face contact hard

· 1 in 10 would split up with their partner by text

· People are most nervous about meeting the Queen face to face, followed by the top boss at their work, and then their ex





Facebook, email, and texting are taking over from face to face contact as the preferred method of communication in everything from business to personal relationships, according to a new survey by online glasses retailer Best4Glasses.co.uk.



The survey found that 50% of respondents have found face-to-face contact with others difficult - feeling intimidated by the other person; a fear of being judged; and not feeling confident about their own appearance were the top reasons for struggling with one-to-one situations. Other worries highlighted were - having the right education; accent; and social standing.



1 in 8 respondents said they had actually missed out on a great opportunity such as a new job, a date or a business deal, because they were worried about meeting someone face to face.



Managing Director of Best4Glasses Limited,suppliers of prescription glasses Trevor Homer, says: "As a nation we are becoming increasingly reliant on communication through technology rather than face to face and this is impacting on our self-confidence. Email, Facebook, Twitter and text are all very well, but the skill of one to one communication is being lost as many of us - not just the younger generations – turn to technology for contact with others.



"The result is that we’re losing the ability to develop and maintain confident face to face relationships both in business and our personal lives. The fact that people are missing out on opportunities that could benefit them is of particular concern. We need to take a step back from technology and start meeting and communicating face to face to help rebuild confidence in all areas of life."



Fear of face to face communication is being seen in the most personal areas of daily life – 1 in 10 said they would use text to break up with their partner, 1 in 11 would use email, and 3% said they would even use Facebook to split up. When it comes to proposals, 6% said they would propose by text or phone, 4% by email and 2% by Facebook.



When asked if they would date someone who rarely looked them in the eye 76% said they wouldn’t, with respondents thinking no eye contact meant a lack of confidence, no interest in a relationship, shyness, and that their date was a bit ‘shifty’.



Psychologist Roxanna Yarandipour (C.Psychol), added: "We seem to be losing the art of face to face communication as email and text give us the perfect excuse to avoid it. This is a key skill in both business and social lives and should be practiced from an early age. Confidence in our appearance can be an important factor in determining how proficient we are in face to face situations, but the issue is more complex than that. Confidence can be affected by a variety of other factors such as childhood experiences, familiarity with the environment, and the example set by our parents."



When asked who they would be most nervous about meeting face to face 40% said The Queen; followed by their top boss at work (13%); their ex (12%); Simon Cowell or one of the Dragon’s Den team (6%); and then David Cameron (5%). Other responses included – ‘my lover’s husband’; David Beckham; George Michael and Winston Churchill.