Small talk is good for us. Many underestimate how much we'll enjoy it, study finds.

Mental HealthSmall talk is good for us. Many underestimate how much we'll enjoy it, study finds.Engaging in conversations, even on topics we think will be boring, can lead to surprisingly meaningful interactions. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Listening and questioning, sharing details of each other's life, making eye contact and feeling like you are being heard are more important than whether you find the topic interesting or boringLeila Register / NBC News; Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 13, 2026, 12:32 PM EDTBy Barbara MantelIf you’re avoiding small talk or casual chats because you think they’ll be boring, you may be missing out on meaningful connections, new research finds.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.People consistently underestimate how interesting and enjoyable these conversations will be, said Elizabeth Trinh, the study’s lead author and a doctoral student in management and organization at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.“Even boring topics can lead to surprisingly meaningful interactions,” Trinh said.Americans are stuck in an epidemic of loneliness and ordinary conversations can help us cope, Trinh said.“If people avoid talking to a co-worker at the coffee machine or a stranger at an event or a neighbor in the elevator because we assume it will be boring and unenjoyable, we may be depriving ourselves of small moments of connection that could improve our mood, our sense of belonging and decrease loneliness,” she said.For the study, published Monday in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Trinh and colleagues at Cornell University’s school of industrial and labor relations and INSEAD, a business school in France, conducted nine experiments involving 1,800 participants.Participants were asked to rate interest in 10 topics, including sports, movies, artificial intelligence, music, books and fitness. They were then...