If you interact with your inbox as often as you socialize with real people, join the crowd. Most people communicate via social networks or email about as often as they speak face-to-face, according to a study conducted by the University of Michigan.

In a survey of 3,000 Generation X-ers involved in the Longitudinal Study of American Youth, the average person reported about 75 face-to-face conversations a month, compared to 74 electronic interactions on Facebook, Twitter, email, and Skype.

The thing is, you’re more likely to be misunderstood and perceived as unsociable–even ill tempered–when you rely on electronic communication, says communication specialist Miti Ampoma, author ofThe Innovative Communicator. (Just think about that coworker who returns your call with an email, or straight-out rejects your meeting requests.) Worse yet: if you let Facebook replace face time, your confidence suffers when you actually interact in the flesh.

Want to keep your social skills up to snuff? Schedule regular face time. When you communicate offline you can see and read a person’s face, interpret their expressions, and better understand their moods and behaviors. Allocate a total of two or more hours a week for human face time, and spend it with your friends, family, or partner. And put down your cell phone or iPad while you’re at it.

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