Why small talk is good for you | The Gray Area

By Vox

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Sean talks with University of Chicago psychologist Nicholas Epley about the strange gap between our need to be social and how social we choose to be. They explore why we underestimate how good conversations will feel, why awkwardness looms so large in our minds, and how small acts of connection can make us happier, less lonely, and more open to the people around us. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling) Guest: Nicholas Epley 00:00 Intro 00:59 The Paradox of Connection: Why We Avoid Being Social 11:03 The Fear of Awkwardness 19:31 Why We Get Cold Feet: The Approach-Avoidance Conflict 27:51 The Surprising Kindness of Honesty 38:21 Why We Should Skip Small Talk and Go Deep 46:17 Simple Social Experiment for connection We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show. And you can watch

Tags: Nicholas Epley, Vox.com, approach avoidance conflict, behavioral science, communication, constructive feedback, deep talk, empathy, explain, explainer, happiness, honesty, loneliness, porcupine paradox, psychology, reciprocity, sean illing, self-fulfilling prophecy, small talk, social anxiety