Are you unhappy about small talk?

William Atkins
Tuesday, 09 March 2010 00:00

Science - Health

According to a February 2010 study in the journal Psychological Science, people are happier when they have serious and meaningful conversations rather than simple, trivial talk about the weather, and other such conversations without much substance and content.



U.S. psychologist Matthias Mehl, from the Department of Psychology at the University of Arizona (Tucson) and one of the authors of the study, stated, 'Profound conversations have the potential to make people happier'. [TopNews (3.8.2010): 'People Who Indulge in Meaningful Talks Tend to Be Happier, Study Says']

And, Dr. Mehl, stated in the 3.5.2010 Business Week article 'Can You Talk Your Way to Happy?', that: "Small talk does have a function. For smooth social functioning, we need small talk."

However, he added, "What really connects you to people is substantive, meaningful conversation rather than small talk. It doesn't have to be all about philosophy or the afterlife, it just has to have substance,"

A study, whose results were published in the journal Psychological Science (February 18, 2010, online), analyzed over 23,000 conversations, around 30 seconds in length on average, which totaled about 300 conversations per participant.

The researchers include Matthias R. Mehl, an assistant professor of psychology from the University of Arizona, Tucson; Sonja Lyubomirsky, a professor of psychology from the University of California, Riverside; and James Maddux, a professor of psychology from George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia.

Page two continues with specifics about the 2010 study in human happiness and conversations.