Let’s Get Deep

From the New York Times:

Would you be happier if you spent more time discussing the state of the world and the meaning of life — and less time talking about the weather?

It may sound counterintuitive, but people who spend more of their day having deep discussions and less time engaging in small talk seem to be happier, said Matthias Mehl, a psychologist at the University of Arizona who published a study on the subject.

This certainly resonates for me — I can’t stand small talk, and I feel restored when I’ve had a real heart to heart with someone. On the other hand, too much intense conversation leaves me exhausted…my brain can only process so much at once.  I imagine a day filled with back to back “deep” conversations and my head hurts.

Luckily, the study seems to categorize “deep” conversations pretty broadly – a conversation about a television show counts, for example, as long as it’s a substantive conversation about the characters or ideas from the show.  I think the big idea here is having conversations you give a shit about, and really connecting with people…which is really just another way of saying, “communicate mindfully.” Amen to that.

Read the full article (“Talk Deeply, Be Happy”), and/or read the study itself, titled Eavesdropping on Happiness.

(Image by Marxpix on Flickr)