Why People on Cell Phones Are the Worst

Inkfish
By Elizabeth Preston
Mar 16, 2013 12:31 AMNov 5, 2019 12:20 AM

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If it were urgent, maybe we could be more forgiving. But the subject of that phone call one table away at Starbucks never seems to be vital. A bathroom renovation, maybe. Or a phrase-by-phrase recounting of a text message dialogue with an ex. If you suspect overheard phone conversations are inherently more awful than people talking face to face, you're right: research shows that these conversations reach across our espresso cups, grab our attention, and don't let go.

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