Small Talk Is Important, and Remote Workers Aren’t Getting Enough

Learn about why small talk is important for coworkers during the workday; why gossip is actually pretty good for you; and how some frogs survive the winter by literally becoming “frogcicles.” Small talk during the workday is crucial, and remote workers may not be getting enough of it by Kelsey Donk Psychology research shows “water cooler talk” can have big benefits. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-12/uoc--prs120120.php Guydish, A. J., D’Arcey, J. T., & Fox Tree, J. E. (2020). Reciprocity in Conversation. Language and Speech https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0023830920972742 Gossip Gets A Bad Rap, But It's Actually Pretty Good For You by Ashley Hamer Brondino, N., Fusar-Poli, L., & Politi, P. (2017). Something to talk about: Gossip increases oxytocin levels in a near real-life situation. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 77, 218–224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.12.014 Gossiping Is Good for You, Study Confirms. (2017). Vice.com. https://www.vice.com/en/article/paebgg/gossiping-is-good-for-you-study-confirms Beck, J. (2014, November 6). Have You Heard? Gossip Is Actually Good and Useful. The Atlantic; theatlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/11/have-you-heard-gossip-is-actually-good-and-useful/382430/ Dunbar, R. I. M. (2004). Gossip in Evolutionary Perspective. Review of General Psychology, 8(2), 100–110. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.8.2.100 Martinescu, E., Janssen, O., & Nijstad, B. A. (2014). Tell Me the Gossip. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40(12), 1668–1680. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167214554916 For some frogs, surviving the winter means becoming a “frogcicle” by Cameron Duke In Alaska, wood frogs freeze for seven months, thaw and hop away. (2014, July 24). Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-alaskan-frozen-frogs-20140723-story.html Layne, J., & Lee, R. (1995). Adaptations of frogs to survive freezing. Climate Research, 5, 53–59. https://doi.org/10.3354/cr005053 Live Science Staff. (2012, September 26). Can Frogs Survive Being Frozen? Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/32175-can-frogs-survive-being-frozen.html Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/small-talk-is-important-and-remote-workers-arent-getting-enough