When it comes to small talk it is the process not the topic that provides benefits to the participants.
An interesting study asked people to predict how satisfied engaging in small talk about things like the weather, current events, traffic, etc. People prior to the small talk conversations rated the satisfaction as being low, but after the conversations rated their satisfaction much higher. Why the discrepancy between predicted and actual satisfaction?
One explanation is that people based their prediction of satisfaction on the topic not the dynamics of the social interaction.
Is it worth engaging in small talk with people? The research finds that yes for most people it is. Observe your own experience and report your findings in the comments. I would like to know what the results are if you intentionally observe your experience.
For more click here.
