“Beautiful day, isn’t it?”
“Sure has been hot lately.”
“All this rain is depressing.”
Why do Americans love to talk about the weather?
Turns out, there’s a social reason for all this boring banter.
Many of us hate small talk, which is understandable. It can be painful.
But it serves a purpose, we just don’t realize what it’s for.
It’s not the conversation.
It’s an opener for conversation.
It’s a way to get comfortable with a stranger, to signal “I’m not a threat” and to also cast around for something to connect on.
You may hate the question, “What do you do for a living?” but that’s not what the question is really asking.
It’s really asking: “What should you and I talk about?”
The content is not the point. The point of small talk is familiarity, connection, and reassurance.
Once those are in place, a real conversation can happen.
And yes, it is a nice day today!
