Could Facebook Make You Happy? Mmmm....Could be.

Meaningful talks can make you happier

by Samia Sehgal - March 7, 2010

Happiness doesn’t come from shallow socializing alone, it comes from engaging in deep and relevant talks.

Your talk influences how you feel, suggests a new study. Scientists have found while meaningful conversation can boost your cheerfulness, trivial talks can make you miserable.

Psychologists at the University of Arizona investigated the difference between happy and unhappy people on the basis of the conversations they had. It was found that a person is likely to be happier if he indulges less in petty talks and more in purposeful conversations.

“Profound conversations have the potential to make people happier,” said Matthias Mehl, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Arizona and co-author of the study.

Connecting happiness to daily conversations

Participants of the study were assessed for their personality and well-being to gauge their level of happiness. 79 college men and women were then asked to wear unobtrusive recording devices over four days to monitor the talks they had with the people around them.

After listening to all the conversations, the researchers divided them into trivial small talks and deep, meaningful talks.

It was found that the happiest people had a lesser tendency to spend time alone; they spent 70 per cent more time talking as compared to those who were least happy.

Deep conversations make happy individuals

The study, published in ‘Psychological Science’ journal, reveals that “the happiest participants had twice as many deep and meaningful conversations and engaged in one third as much small talk as the unhappiest participants”.

The type of conversations you have indicates how you interact with your people.
“Just as self-disclosure can instill a sense of intimacy in a relationship, deep conversations may instill a sense of meaning in interaction with partners,” Mehl said.

The study authors do not rule out the importance of small talk; “For smooth social functioning, we need small talk,” said Mehl, but “What really connects you to people is substantive, meaningful conversation rather than small talk.”

More for men?

Another interesting finding of the study was related to gender. While women are known to share their feelings and deeper thoughts easier then men, the study authors found that the effects of having significant conversations were slightly greater for men. However, they did not discuss the reason behind this difference.
Happier people are known to be more social. But the study says happiness doesn’t come from shallow socializing alone, it comes from engaging in deep and relevant talks with your people.

According to Mehl, the study suggests that “happy life is social and conversationally deep rather than solitary and superficial”.

My Comment: The article pretty much speaks for itself.