Small talk has been a pain point for me for years, but it sank to new lows at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was at the playground one day, sweating in a K-95 while pushing my maskless ...

Do you dread trading niceties with retail clerks and assorted other strangers when you are out in public? Do you go out of your way to avoid neighbors and co-workers so that you do not have to engage ...

Learning how to get better at small talk might not seem like much of a conversational superpower. Arguably everyone’s least favorite part of socializing, surface-level chitchat can be awkward, ...

In a world where our digital devices have become extensions of ourselves, it’s no surprise that we often immerse ourselves in screens rather than engage with the world and people around us. From ...

Often relegated to the status of useless chatter, small talk is once again at the heart of debates about our social well-being. Beneath the veneer of triviality, this form of exchange is actually an ...