About this episode
This episode explores the psychology behind small talk and discusses related scientific studies and findings.
Do you avoid small talk in the office, or with your neighbor in the elevator? If so, you might want to give it a chance. According to a study just published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , even when participants were primed that a conversation would be boring, it turned out to be more interesting than they anticipated. Today on the show, we get into that, plus why scientists gave lobsters painkillers, and a clue about the formation of the Grand Canyon. Interested in more science? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org . Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
People in this episode
Host: Short Wave
Topics covered
- small talk
- psychology
- lobsters
- painkillers
- Grand Canyon formation
Keywords
- small talk
- psychology
- lobsters
- painkillers
- Grand Canyon
- conversation
- study
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: NPR
Books & works: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Places: Grand Canyon
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