Originally found at Stylist.

Thanks to lockdowns, remote working and ever-increasing screen time, we’re out of practice when it comes to everyday face-to-face communication. In many ways, our avoidance of office small talk makes sense; according to the survey commissioned by Tilda, 40% of young adults likened small talk to “learning a new language”.

However, as much as we might try to avoid it, small talk can benefit everyone involved. A scientific study published in PLOS One found that even just four minutes of small talk can help you to co-operate more closely with somebody. Another study published in the Academy Of Management journal found that small talk – which it defined as “trivial communication not core to task completion” – enhanced employees’ daily positive social emotions at work and enhanced wellbeing at the end of the workday. So why do people find it difficult to initiate such conversations?