Charles Spence, a professor in the department of experimental psychology at the University of Oxford, added: “Telephone calls allow for nuances, a sense of immediacy. If I hear somebody’s voice I know they are a real person, not a bot. Text and picture communication may be more efficient, but it can also bring distance and a sense of isolation.”

I put all this science to my friends, who explained exactly why they’ve been making more calls over the last couple of weeks.

“It’s nicer than messaging, especially if you’re stuck in a house and going stir crazy…”

“I’ve probably made more FaceTime face calls in the last few days than I ever have before,” Emmy, a journalist in London tells Stylist.

“It seems to be a good way of trying to make the best of the situation. Houseparty is an app that can be a conference call with several people and everyone sits in front of the camera with a drink to just have a ‘normal’ conversation – I feel this way of communicating is becoming the new norm.

“It’s nicer than messaging, especially if you’re stuck in a house and going stir crazy. It’s nice to see other faces and hear their voices. That being said, I wouldn’t stop it for a normal drink at the pub.”

Hate making phone calls? That’s probably about to change