These conversations are somehow scripted yet without substance, and to the person on the receiving end, they’re often a ...

While many people don't enjoy surface-level conversations with strangers, people who are good at small talk use one specific ...

Small talk may be the most maligned category of conversation. For many, it's a time-waster with no redeeming qualities other than mindless chatter. Yet, when properly understood and applied, small ...

Small talk has been a pain point for me for years, but it sank to new lows at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was at the playground one day, sweating in a K-95 while pushing my maskless ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Small talk can positively affect a person’s overall well-being by boosting someone's mood and decreasing feelings of isolation, ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. ‘If you think small talk is boring, that may be a skill issue.’Illustration: Guardian Design/Panther Media Global/Alamy ...

Do you dread trading niceties with retail clerks and assorted other strangers when you are out in public? Do you go out of your way to avoid neighbors and co-workers so that you do not have to engage ...

Many people noticed that their social skills got a little rusty during the pandemic. My latest book discusses the psychology of mirrors and reflections. Research explains why being reflected by others ...