David Roberts hates small talk. But it’s not because he’s disgusted with it; it’s because he’s a total failure at making small talk. This is how he experiences small talk:
Say I find myself interacting with a sales clerk, meeting someone at a party or conference, bumping into a neighbor on the street, any situation that calls for chitchat. The minute the interaction begins, something inside me — I'd call it a "thought," but it's deeper than that, physical almost — wants to get out of it. My fight-or-flight instincts kick in. It's like the somatic equivalent of white noise, louder and louder the longer the interaction goes on. It doesn't take long before it's deafening and I break it off, often in less-than-smooth ways.
The problem of Roberts' inability to navigate through small talk, according to him, is not people in general, nor is it social situations in general. The problem is one-on-one small talk.
Why are small talks a big deal in communication?
Find out the answer over at Vox.
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