You know the moment—the conversation slows, then there's a pause. It's awkward, and so awkward that some people will panic and say anything. Do we all find such silences so stressful?
Researchers analyzed the frequency and impact of gaps of greater than 2 seconds during conversations, including the overview of previous studies which indicates that the fear of awkward silences can be so extreme that people avoid talking to strangers, even though doing so this likely to be an enjoyable experience.
During conversations with short gaps, people feel more connected to their conversation partners. But such feelings of connection markedly dip when entering a long gap. Long gaps between strangers are likely to be followed by a change in topic.
But the opposite seems to be true for conversations between friends. Long gaps there saw increased connection. Between friends, longer gaps seem to provide natural moments for reflection and expression.
第⼀段提出⽣活中的尴尬现象——在谈话中由于没话可说⽽停顿下来： 你知道那种时刻——谈话的语速变慢了，然后是停顿。这很尴尬，尴尬到 有些⼈会惊慌失措，想到什么说什么。我们都会觉得这些沉默的时刻很有 压⼒吗？ 第⼆段介绍针对谈话中停顿间隔的频率和时⻓所展开的研究： 研究⼈员分析了谈话中间隔超过 2 秒的频率和影响，包括对先前研究的概 述，这些研究表明⼈们如此害怕尴尬的沉默，以⾄于避免与陌⽣⼈交谈。 尽管这样做可能是⼀种愉快的经历。 第三段分析了陌⽣⼈之间谈话时不同的停顿间隔时⻓带来的影响： 在停顿间隔时⻓⽐较短的谈话中，⼈们会觉得与谈话对象的联系更紧密。 但是，当进⼊⼀个较⻓的停顿间隔时，这种紧密联系的感觉会明显下降。 陌⽣⼈之间⻓时间的停顿间隔可能会导致话题的改变。 第四段分析了朋友之间谈话时停顿间隔时⻓所反映的亲密关系程度： 但朋友之间的对话似乎正好相反。较⻓的停顿间隔说明了更紧密的联系。 朋友之间，更⻓的间隔时⻓似乎为反思和表达提供了合理的时间。