Welcome to the Science of Small Talk, an exploration of social thought and behavior. Specifically, the mission of this blog is to apply principles and theories of behavioral science to the examination of everyday interactions.
Even the most mundane aspects of our social universe are amenable to scientific analysis, from dinner party conversations to job interview strategies, from TV game shows to fast-food drive-thrus. This easy applicability to everyday life is what makes the study of human nature so captivating: it demands attention to prosaic detail as well as intellectual theory; it appeals to both the sitcom fan and social scientist in all of us.
After all, understanding and predicting the thoughts and actions of others is a crucial ability in all walks of life. Success in many a professional field relies on such skill, whether business or law, politics or education. Furthermore, outside of work, who among us doesn't devote countless hours of mental effort trying to figure out the true intentions of people we meet? Devising strategies for making a more positive impression on others? Dwelling on the strange vibe we get from the new guy at work, or kicking ourselves over the awkward joke made at that party last week?
Yes, there is a field of scientific research dedicated to asking the same questions about human nature pondered by so many of us in the midst of our daily routines. What's the best way to persuade consumers that they need this product? Why does my boyfriend seem like such a caring person when we're alone together, but such a jerk when we're out with his friends? Is this saleswoman really interested in me, or is she just saying I look good in this shirt because she works on commission? There is a rich reservoir of empirical data to draw on in conducting this type of analysis of human nature, this psychology of social behavior, this science of small talk.
So stay tuned in the weeks and months to come for exploration of a wide range of events and interactions both mundane and sublime. These analyses, rooted in observations of everyday behavior as well as scientific principles and findings, will enable you forever more to refute the allegation that armchair analysis with your friends of ambiguous social interactions amounts to insignificant chit-chat; to dispel the notion that hours spent consuming popular culture or dissecting real-world behaviors described on cable news shows have been devoid of intellectual merit; to assert that just as many important, scientifically testable questions can emerge from an afternoon of people watching at the mall food court or public beach as from spending time in a chemistry lab.
No, such undertakings will no longer be easily dismissed as idle pursuits once you are armed with the experience of using behavioral science research theories and findings to ask new questions about the social world around you. The curiosity about human nature underlying such endeavors is the very driving force behind this blog and the scientific investigations it relates concerning how people think, feel, and act in the social world we all inhabit.
I'm looking forward to it...
