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By Stephen Beech
It really is good to talk, according to new research.
People underestimate how enjoyable seemingly mundane everyday conversations can be, suggests the findings.
Even small talk, idle gossip or general chit-chat that many people try to avoid because they think it will be boring may actually be beneficial for our general well-being, say scientists.
Study lead author Elizabeth Trinh said: "We tend to assume that if a topic sounds dull, the conversation will be dull too.
"But that's not what people actually experience."
In nine experiments involving 1,800 participants, American researchers found that people consistently underestimated how interesting and enjoyable conversations about boring topics would be.
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Participants were asked to predict how much they would enjoy talking about specific topics they identified as boring.
Topics included both World Wars, non-fiction books, the stock market, cats and vegan diets.
In some cases, participants were asked to suggest a topic they found boring with responses including math, onions and Pokemon.
Participants then had real conversations with strangers or friends, in person or online.
They reported afterwards how much they enjoyed the conversations.
Researchers found that, across experiments, people expected the conversations to be fairly dull, but afterwards they reported enjoying them much more than they had predicted.
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The pattern held even when both parties agreed the topic was boring, according to the findings published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Trinh, a doctoral student at the University of Michigan, said: "We were both surprised and excited by how robust the effect was.
"People consistently expected conversations about seemingly boring topics to be less interesting than they turned out to be."
She says the reason may be that people focus too much on the topic itself.
Before a conversation begins, the topic is the easiest thing to judge.
But once people start talking, the interaction becomes more important.
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Trinh said: "What really drives enjoyment is engagement.
"Feeling heard, responding to each other, and discovering unexpected details about someone's life can make even a mundane topic meaningful."
She says the findings matter because social connection plays a key role in mental and physical health.
Strong relationships are linked to greater well-being and lower risk of loneliness.
Trinh said if people avoid conversations because they expect them to be boring, they may miss easy chances to connect.
She added: "If we skip talking to a co-worker at the coffee machine, a neighbor in the elevator, or a stranger at an event, we may be missing small moments of connection.
"Even a brief conversation about everyday life may be more rewarding than we expect."
