- MBTI
- INTJ
Whats wrong with disliking small talk? What is the purpose of talking to me about the weather when we are both experiencing it? Or last nights football game when we both know the score?
Whats wrong with disliking small talk? What is the purpose of talking to me about the weather when we are both experiencing it? Or last nights football game when we both know the score?
Surprise surprise, smalltalk has got nothing to do with looking out the window and discovering the weather. It is a polite and refined mode of interaction that shows you are ready to engage with another person in a nonthreatening way, just as much as putting your head down and crossing your arms shows that you are not interested in engaging. It is a deeply considerate and highly sociable way of setting others at ease, because with new acquaintances, being standoffish and observing silence is almost as unkind as complete ostracism. It is also a way of getting acquainted with someone to see if you would like to know each other more, without being confrontational or treading on any toes, because not everyone is comfortable with revealing deeper things about themselves straight away. If you find that you don't get along on a deeper level, the smalltalk still functions to lubricate the social setting, and makes it possible to be together comfortably in situations where there is no other choice. With people we already know it is a way of moderating interaction, of giving each other breathing space in which to collect thoughts and emotions, even of expressing companionship and caring through gentle humour. Making small talk is a skill, and it takes a lot of practice to be good at it.
If someone is trying to do smalltalk with you, you should be flattered, because it means that they are making an effort to make you feel comfortable, and it means that they are making an effort to get to know you without offending you. On the other hand, if you are wanting to constantly remain immersed in deep and meaningful discussion, even with complete strangers, you are probably a bit too intense for most people to feel comfortable around.
If you find that you don't get along on a deeper level, the smalltalk still functions to lubricate the social setting
Surprise surprise, smalltalk has got nothing to do with looking out the window and discovering the weather. It is a polite and refined mode of interaction that shows you are ready to engage with another person in a nonthreatening way, just as much as putting your head down and crossing your arms shows that you are not interested in engaging. It is a deeply considerate and highly sociable way of setting others at ease, because with new acquaintances, being standoffish and observing silence is almost as unkind as complete ostracism. It is also a way of getting acquainted with someone to see if you would like to know each other more, without being confrontational or treading on any toes, because not everyone is comfortable with revealing deeper things about themselves straight away. If you find that you don't get along on a deeper level, the smalltalk still functions to lubricate the social setting, and makes it possible to be together comfortably in situations where there is no other choice. With people we already know it is a way of moderating interaction, of giving each other breathing space in which to collect thoughts and emotions, even of expressing companionship and caring through gentle humour. Making small talk is a skill, and it takes a lot of practice to be good at it.
If someone is trying to do smalltalk with you, you should be flattered, because it means that they are making an effort to make you feel comfortable, and it means that they are making an effort to get to know you without offending you. On the other hand, if you are wanting to constantly remain immersed in deep and meaningful discussion, even with complete strangers, you are probably a bit too intense for most people to feel comfortable around.
AAAAA! This terrified me a little bit lol!
-- my sister in law is a hairdresser and she is an expert in small-talk. I am awed by her skills. I learned to cut my own hair to avoid small talk though -- haha
I want it like chocolate.
so how is your day going? =D
**cringing but trying to oblige lol **
You're very pleasant to chat to!
oh -- nothing personal..you seem really personable and outgoing and that is admirable
just that smalltalk is especially taxing to me personally. I work in a huge office building with hundreds of people on my floor and to get to my cube, I have to run the gauntlet..."how are you" "how's it going" or the dreaded, "what did you do this weekend" I crave a deeper interaction. I have always wished people would start out with something like, "so, what's your philosophy in life?" or "who is your favorite surrealist painter" or something like that. I know i'm in the minority