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Speaking of Nothing
Why we talk about the weather and other trivial topics
A
Some workers are happier in their jobs than others, but it's not only to do
with the work itself. For example, security guards, truck drivers and
salespeople: year after year, these jobs appear on lists of the unhappiest
careers. It's true that many factors can make a job cheerless, including
unusual hours, low pay and a lack of chances for advancement. However, these
three types of work stand out for another reason: they're characterised by a
lack of conversation or by meaningless small talk, which unfortunately
represents an obligatory part of the job. Examples of such small talk include
comments about the weather, holiday destinations and food. Psychologists have
long said that connecting with others through meaningful exchanges is central
to well-being, but just how much conversation we require is under
investigation.
B
Matthias R. Mehl and Simine Vazire of the University of Arizona in the United
States wanted to investigate the types of conversations people have. The team
used a device to periodically record short verbal exchanges while participants
went about their daily tasks. In the study, the researchers eavesdropped on
undergraduates for four days, then catalogued each overheard conversation as
either "small talk" ("What do you have there? Popcorn? That
looks good!") or 'substantive" ("So did their proposal get
funding?" "How did you feel?"). They found that people who had
more substantive conversations were more likely to say they were feeling happy
and fulfilled overall. In fact, the happiest students had roughly twice as many
substantive talks as the unhappiest ones. Small talk, meanwhile, made up only
10 per cent of their conversation, versus almost 30 per cent of conversation
among the least content students
C
However, small talk still has a role to play. Rather than convey information,
scientists believe that it can promote bonding. Ipek Kulahci and her team of
researchers at University College Cork in Ireland tested the relationship
between vocal exchanges and grooming in lemurs. The researchers reported that the
animals reserve their call-and-response conversations, equivalent to human
chitchat, for the animals they groom the most- suggesting that small talk
maintains closeness with loved ones, and isn't merely for awkward exchanges
with strangers. It appears that, even among animals, vocal exchanges indicate
strong social bonds between the group members.
D
Connecting with others seems to increase happiness, but strangers in close
proximity routinely ignore each other. To examine the experience of connecting
to strangers, psychologists Nicholas Epley and Juliana Schroeder from the
University of Chicago in the United States gave volunteers varying directions
about whether to talk with other commuters who usually took the same train to
work every day-something they typically avoided. Those told to chat with others
reported a more pleasant journey than those told to 'enjoy your solitude' or do
whatever they normally would. All of the volunteers in the study who initiated
conversations reported a positive reaction from the people they spoke to.
Participants had predicted precisely the opposite outcome. They expected that
the others on the train would have preferred to be left alone.
E
When we buy a cup of coffee at a café, we sometimes chat with the service
staff, but on other occasions we say as little as possible so as not to waste
time. Every day we have opportunities to transform potentially impersonal
exchanges into genuine social interactions; in other words, treating a service
provider like we would an acquaintance might make us happier. In a study by
Gillian Sandstrom and Elizabeth Dunn, people who had a social interaction with
a server in a coffee shop felt better emotionally than people who were in a
rush to get everything done. As well as feeling happier, the first group had a
stronger sense of belonging. These results suggest that, although people are
often reluctant to have a genuine social interaction with a stranger, they are
happier when they do. In similar studies, when volunteers broke the silence at
a gallery to chat with other visitors, the visitors felt happier and more
connected to the paintings than those who were not approached. The pleasure of
connection seems contagious; in a laboratory waiting room, participants who
were talked to had equally positive experiences as those instructed to talk to
them.
F
Of course, some of us are better than others at small talk. In a study by Todd
Kashdan and his team from George Mason University in the United States, people
who were rated by the researchers as 'less curious about all aspects of life
had trouble getting a conversation going on their own. However, they had
greater luck building closeness with others when they were supplied with topics
that encouraged people to open up about themselves and their lives. But people
who were deemed 'curious' needed no help transforming conversations about
ordinary things like favourite holidays into other areas of conversation that
allowed for intimate exchanges. The study showed that curious people expect to
generate closeness during intimate conversations but not during small talk;
less curious people anticipated poor outcomes in both situations. In an
experiment by William Fleeson at Wake Forest University in the United States,
participants were divided into two groups- those who were naturally outgoing,
and those who were more reserved in social situations. They were then
instructed to behave in the opposite manner to their usual nature. Participants
reported more positive feelings when instructed to act extroverted than when
instructed to act introverted. The overall conclusion, therefore, is that
everyone can benefit from more conversation; the more meaningful, the better.
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on
Reading Passage 2 above.
Questions 14-19
Reading Passage 2 has six paragraphs, A-F.
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-ix, in boxes 14-19 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
i. How sounds and physical contact strengthen social connections
ii. A cross-cultural study of superficial interaction
iii. An experiment that led to surprising results
iv. A study that categorised types of spoken exchanges
v. The personality types that find small talk more difficult
vi. The effect of social media on conversation skills
vii. Some occupations involve little or no interesting conversation
viii. A campaign to improve interaction in the workplace
ix. A range of common situations that were enhanced by small talk
14. Paragraph A
15. Paragraph B
16. Paragraph C
17. Paragraph D
18. Paragraph E
19. Paragraph F
Questions 20-25
Look at the following statements (Questions 20-25) and the list of people
below.
Match each statement with the correct person, A-E.
Write the correct letter, A-E, in boxes 20-25 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
20. Interacting socially is preferable to hurrying through a
transaction.
21. If someone is truly uninterested in the wider world,
they'll find small talk more difficult.
22. People who had been unwilling to start a conversation
ended up enjoying a social exchange.
23. eople whose conversations are mainly of a personal and
meaningful nature are more satisfied with their lives.
24. There is more than one species whose members communicate
for social reasons.
25. Some people find it easier than others to change the
subject of a conversation.
List of Researchers
A. Matthias R. Mehl and Simine Vazire
B. Ipek Kulahci
C. Nicholas Epley and Juliana Schroeder
D. Gillian Sandstrom and Elizabeth Dunn
E. Todd Kashdan
Questions 26-29
Complete the sentences below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 26-29 on your answer sheet.
26. In the case of salespeople, some meaningless small talk
is __________ when dealing with customers.
27.In a study that took place on a train, volunteers
approached people who were regular __________.
28. In an experiment in an art gallery, people related more
to the __________ when they were drawn into a conversation.
29. Introverted people found it helpful to be given
__________ which they could use to start conversations.
Questions 14-19:
14. vii
15. iv
16. i
17. iii
18. ix
19. v
Questions 20-25:
20. D
21. E
22. C
23. A
24. B
25. E
Questions 26-29:
26. obligatory
27. commuters
28. paintings
29. topics
PASSWORD: 6NOVEMBER
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