Why talk about the weather

“Beautiful day, isn’t it?”

“Sure has been hot lately.”

“All this rain is depressing.”

Why do Americans love to talk about the weather?

Turns out, there’s a social reason for all this boring banter.

Many of us hate small talk, which is understandable. It can be painful.

But it serves a purpose, we just don’t realize what it’s for.

It’s not the conversation.

It’s an opener for conversation.

It’s a way to get comfortable with a stranger, to signal “I’m not a threat” and to also cast around for something to connect on.

You may hate the question, “What do you do for a living?” but that’s not what the question is really asking.

It’s really asking: “What should you and I talk about?”

The content is not the point. The point of small talk is familiarity, connection, and reassurance.

Once those are in place, a real conversation can happen.

And yes, it is a nice day today!