I think game theory will suggest that for individuals to maximize their utility (let's assume which in this case means that they minimize their anxiety) they should make a call to IRCC regardless of the stage of their application (and assuming a reasonable point of anxiety like no MEP or long time passed without any updates). This is because one has to look at their actions in relation to actions of others.
Now optimally every one should hold their horses until 6 months are done and then they will call and connect to IRCC helpline and find the status of their application. The problem is that there is no way to know that people will still be able to connect after 6 months either, making their long wait even worse. And that lack of connection will not just be because other people are calling in to find out early about their application status, it is also because IRCC deals with tons of other stuff including student permits,visit visas, PR issues, ctiizenship, issuing passports etc. So it is reasonable to assume that they are almost always busy. Add to that the problem that this forum constitues a small sample size and the pleas to not inundate IRCC with status updates will reach a very small portion of the EE applicant population the payoff for not calling frequently and finding your status goes down very quickly.
So: optimal choice for individuals, in the absence of a central control authority, is to call and find out their status, from a game theoretical perspective. Maybe I should actually write a paper on this