Are You Happier with Small Talk or More Talk?

Conversations at conferences and trade shows should be informative. Oftentimes, they are just transactional. It’s not personal, it’s business. Every now and then they are candid. And these are the best conversations to have—even in the aisles of a convention center.

When we spend time actively listening, we can learn more about the person in front of us—whether they are new customer, an old colleague, the head of successful company or the founder of an indie brand looking to break out and make it big.  It can be time well spent.

In 2010, a University of Arizona professor of psychology ran a study with his students to find out if daily banter or meaningful conversations made people happier. The participants wore a device that recorded 30-second intervals of sound every 12.5 minutes. The study included 79 people and spanned four days. Thousands of hours were recorded. Those recordings were filtered to remove ambient sound and when the participant was alone. Then, conversations were labeled as superficial or more complex. The participant’s wellbeing was assessed for life satisfaction and happiness. 

The conclusion: higher wellbeing was associated with those who had less small talk and more substantive conversations.

This summer, I spent time at two industry events, and it was in those times when I slowed down to have real conversations that I came away with meaningful insights about the people who make this industry what it is. But I also came away feeling better about the people who make up this industry.  

At a time when there’s much chatter about AI accelerating processes, it feels harder than ever to slow one’s pace.

In fact, during one of my favorite conversations this summer, an industry expert put it this way:

“The challenge today isn’t creating a fragrance anymore. The challenge is creating something meaningful in a world that never slows down.”

He was speaking about perfume development—but the same can be said about how we live our lives.

When fall events ramp up next month, I want to have fuller conversations—and I’d like to have them with some of you. Will I be wearing a recording device? I’m a journalist. But don’t worry; I will always ask you if our conversation is on the record.

Christine Esposito
Editor-in-Chief

[email protected]