Telephone Phobia

[DavidDvorkin]

I’ve hesitated to write about this. It’s such a foolish thing — so silly, surely so easy to overcome. A recent unpleasantness connected with this phobia changed my mind. I know I’m not alone in suffering from telephone phobia, a.k.a. phone phobia, and maybe putting some thoughts about telephone phobia online will be useful.

So. Telephone phobia. What is it, and is it contagious?

As to the second question, surely not. At least, I hope not.

As to the first question, it’s a morbid, irrational fear of the telephone. If you have telephone phobia, you might be afraid of answering the phone. Perhaps you’re afraid of making phone calls. Perhaps it’s merely the sound of a ringing phone that makes your heart beat faster and fills you with dread. These are all different flavors of telephone phobia.

http://eyeblister.blogspot.com/2014/09/telephone-phobia.html

[Shrike47]

1. Interesting read. Been there.

[unblock]

2. i know exactly when my loathing of the phone began

when i was trying to use my father's den for some privacy to call and ask a girl from school out on a date.

my brother, with that singular talent certain schizophrenics have, knew that he would get a rare rise out usually unflappable me by barging in on me as soon as the call started and refusing to be quiet.

i was screwed. i couldn't have the privacy i felt i needed in my introverted nervousness, i couldn't ask her out with my brother right there ready to laugh his ass off at me, and i couldn't even carry on a normal conversation with her while he kept talking. nor could i do the yelling that was necessary to get rid of him (schizophrenic, remember), that would hardly impress my would-be date.

it after several repeats of the above scenario, i eventually did get that date, and she said she has a younger brother too! but, still, i hate phones, and placing phone calls in particular.

[angstlessk]

3. I remember in the early days..run to answer the phone , as if it were sacrosanct

then, one day I had a hallelujah moment...don't answer the phone..

[freebrew]

4. In the last several years...

I have begun to hate them.

Why does everyone feel they have to be connected all of the time?

I stay off the grid as far as possible. It's a 60s thing I guess.

[DavidDvorkin]

6. I love the idea of them

For other people.

[adirondacker]

5. The telephone is ringing...

I thought about using this song as a ringtone!


I actually prefer a call vs text and email for reason of nuance and many times speed.

[alarimer]

7. It is an issue for me at work.

Since I almost always prefer to email rather than call. I avoid like the plague calling people I do not know well.

But I agonize over email as well, spending several minutes to an hour, trying to get the wording just right.