Ingenious ways to escape boring conversations without appearing rude - and why ... trends now
Perfecting the art of conversation is a powerful tool - but so too, it seems, is learning how to escape them.
Most people will have found themselves trapped in a tediously boring chat at least one point in their lives. But startling Harvard research shows that in fact, just 2 percent of conversations wrap up when both parties want them to end.
The study chalks this up to 'incompatible desires.' Simply put, one person wants to keep rattling on about whatever nonsense interests them, while the other is desperately looking for a clean exit without appearing rude or insensitive.
As experimental psychologist Adam Mastroianni, told the Wall Street Journal: 'A conversation is a little bit like driving down the freeway. There are only certain points where you are allowed to enter or exit without doing considerable damage.'
The WSJ column suggested we might learn a thing or two from rats. When put in a maze, they are happy to hang around. But with the right motivation - be it heating the floor or giving them a little electrical shock - they soon get moving.
To avoid resorting to electric shocks, the general advice is to use your boredom as a sign you need to gracefully initiate an exit. But just how can you do this without causing offense...
Fortunately, a host of TikTok influencers have made a hobby out of providing useful tips to duck conversations you find boring.
Jefferson Fisher, a trial attorney in Texas who creates videos focusing on how to be an effective communicator, offered some gentle ways to shut down a chat.
Fisher calls one of his techniques 'closing the loop.'
'If we first start talking about family, then work and then...whatever else, I will bring the conversation back to how it first started, which would be family,' Fisher said.
'For example, I might say, "Well I'm glad to
