Though small talk does help to fill in those gaping silences, it achieves more than that, too. The Los Angeles Times printed an article “Researchers Take High View of Idle Chatter”. The article cited (引用) research from the University of Michigan stating that increased social contact, specifically conversation, improves mental function. When you think about it, keeping a conversation going is a challenge, like a puzzle. You have to search through a mental database to find one that will elicit (引出 ) a positive response from the other person, that will be in keeping with the flow of conversation, and that will open up the next part of the exchange. That’s harder than the crossword and it is good for your brain.