system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why is it seemingly easier to converse with someone face-to-face than it is with someone you can't physically see (for instance, over the phone)?
gpt
We are very visually oriented and facial recognition is important in bonding and socializing.  We also tend to relate to things that look similar to us more easily and without something to look at and remind us of our similarities, socialization becomes more difficult.  Besides that, phones slightly distort the sound compared to face-to-face conversing, so you feel even less bonded and less like socializing.  Body language also contributes as it allows us to read between the lines, as it were.  We can figure out where we stand socially with others by their mannerisms and movement.  Without these cues, socialization is further impeded as you become less sure of yourself and your standing with the person.