IU Admits Having ‘Call Phobia’ And Fans Can Relate: Why Are They Scared Of Phone Calls?

South Korean singer-actress IU – real name Lee Ji-eun – recently talked about why she finds it uncomfortable to talk on the phone for a long time.

In an April episode of her web show “IU’s Palette,” the singer and her best friend Yoo In-na talked about the longest phone call they ever had. Yoo In-na said “three minutes,” which made IU laugh. IU then confessed that she finds it difficult to have a long phone call in one sitting.

“Even when I have a call with my mom, I find it uncomfortable. I believe that the only person I feel comfortable having a call with is my manager. Maybe it’s because we only talk [about work],” she elaborated on her phone call anxiety.

“I even find it uncomfortable to have a long call with you, In-na,” she told her best friend. “Frankly, no one can have a long call with me.”

After IU’s confession, In-na quipped, “Don’t make a call to IU.”

Interestingly, many young people seem to relate to IU’s phone call anxiety, according to a recent survey by job search portal Alba Heaven.

The recent survey among 1,496 members of the MZ generation – a pairing of Millenials and Generation Z – revealed that 35.6% of the respondents experienced symptoms of what they refer to as “call phobia.” This was a 5.7% increase from last year’s survey.

“Call phobia,” or the feeling of being anxious about receiving and making phone calls, is also more prevalent in females — 75.9% of females reportedly prefer communicating via text messages over phone calls.

Those suffering from this “phobia” reportedly experience physical symptoms like a faster heartbeat and cold sweats when receiving phone calls. Because of this, more than half of the respondents try to delay or don’t answer a phone call at all.

Knetizens also shared their thoughts on “call phobia” in an online discussion, with several users sharing their personal struggles with it.

“You can make mistakes when talking on the phone, but when you text, you don’t have to answer right away and you can think it through before answering. I think texting is more comfortable,” one user commented.

“I get a lot of calls with advertisements or insurance, so I never answer calls [from unknown numbers],” another one said.

A third user shared, “I hate phone calls. I get anxious even hearing the ringtone so I keep [the phone on] silent [mode].”

Meanwhile, some users shared that non-verbal communication can lead to misinterpretation as emotions can be better conveyed through phone calls.

“I think texts can be misinterpreted though,” stated one user.

However, according to experts, “call phobia” is not a psychiatric problem and does not require treatment. To get comfortable in making and receiving phone calls, it is recommended to start with making short conversations over the phone with a person one feels most comfortable with.