Researchers measured the length and type of conversations happy people have. Apparently, happy people skip the small talk. (Or perhaps, skipping small talk keeps you happy.)
Instead, happy people dove into deeper conversations:
The happiest participants had twice as many substantive conversations and only a third as much small talk as those who are least content.
Click for audio
Free Subscription to Plan B Economics:
By using this site you agree to the 'Terms of Use'. This is not advice. This site features the opinions of the various authors and sources. While Plan B Economics makes every effort to provide high quality information, the information is not guaranteed to be accurate and should not be relied on. Investing involves risk and you could lose all your money. Consult a professional advisor before making any investing decisions.
While I agree with the University of Arizona researchers who performed the study that ‘the happy life is social and conversationally deep rather than solitary and superficial,’ the conclusions that media have taken from the study—that small talk leaves people unhappy—is misplaced. It is the inability many people have to meaningfully connect with others that leaves them unhappy and socially isolated.
I base my views on nearly 30 years of teaching and writing on the subject of small talk and conversation. It is my experience that far from making people unhappy, small talk serves the following critical roles to creating meaningful conversations and relationships:
I maintain that small talk is an important skill to bridge that gap and a prerequisite for more substantive conversations.
Don Gabor is communications trainer and author of How to Start a Conversation and Make Friends. He can be reached for further comments on this subject at 718-768-0824, via email at don@dongabor.com or visit his website, http://www.dongabor.com.