I was pleased to be asked to contribute to a terrific article in last week’s Wall Street Journal, The Benefits of a Little Small Talk.

As the reporter, Jennifer Breheny Wallace, noted, there is a growing body of research demonstrating that short conversations, conducted with relative strangers, have the potential to contribute to your well-being.

In fact:

“In a series of studies, participants were asked to track their daily interactions with people connected to them by “strong ties” (family and friends) and “weak ties” (acquaintances). On days when participants had more “weak tie” interactions than usual, they reported a greater sense of belonging and happiness. The researchers hypothesize that, like having a diverse financial portfolio, possessing a “diverse social portfolio might make people less vulnerable to fluctuations in their social network.”

The article concludes with a number of tips (including #1 from yours truly) on how to make your small talk pay big dividends.  If you have a chance, I’d love to have you take a look and to hear from you about any tips of your own.