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Don’t get me wrong, I love me some deep conversations: hopes and dreams, existential crises, what’s coming up in therapy, the whole 9 yards. But the world’s been feeling so heavy lately that I’ve come to appreciate the joy of lighthearted and fun conversations more than ever, whether that’s a quick “just because i'm on my way somewhere" call. But what about yapping makes you feel so happy? well we have those answers!
Well let's start with, For starters, talking to friends about anything from your cat's recent adorable behavior to the US's deteriorating democracy is rarely detrimental to your mental health. According to our experts, a study highlighted that our convos don’t have to be super deep to be good for us. When comparing the effects of seven types of chats (catching up, meaningful talk, joking around, showing care, listening, valuing others’ opinions, or offering compliments), researchers found that the specific type of conversation didn’t matter so much; just simply reaching out to a friend daily improved participants' feelings of connection and their overall well-being.
Staying up on daily social interactions is beneficial for us cognitively, not just emotionally; it keeps our minds sharp, especially as we age! Whatever you decide to chat about, don’t force it. The goal is to keep the conversation low-pressure while still being able to connect with your favorite people without feeling the need to fill in every detail or be the most interesting yapper to ever yap!