That awkward silence. We’ve all been there. Maybe it’s when you’re meeting someone for the first time. On a date, even. Or in a job interview. Have you ever felt afraid that you would run out of ...

What happens when we become too dependent on our mobile phones? According to MIT sociologist Sherry Turkle, author of the new book Reclaiming Conversation, we lose our ability to have deeper, more ...

There was once a time when strangers talked to one another, sometimes eagerly. “In past eras, daily life made it necessary for individuals to engage with others different from themselves,” Paula ...

Striking up a conversation—especially with a stranger—is a lot like adding kindling to a fire pit and hoping it ignites. Choose the wrong starter, and the flame will fizzle out. But when you get it ...

In The Art of Conversation: A Guided Tour of a Neglected Pleasure, Catherine Blyth gives some great tips on handling the subtle nuances of polite interaction. Here are seven of my favorite bits: Via ...

Many of my daily conversations don’t involve eye contact. My roommate texts me from a neighboring bedroom. My boss sends me an instant message from a few feet away. Sometimes, the substitution of face ...

Texting with a new crush can be equally nerve wracking and exciting at the same time. When you really like them but you don’t know where it’s going yet, it’s easy to over-analyze everything, and that ...

Too often, a conversation results in wasted time — and nothing productive to show for it. Whether you’ve run into someone at a conference or you have a scheduled call, you can use specific tactics to ...

With feelings of isolation exacerbated by a yearslong pandemic, many people view conversation pits as the ultimate symbol of intimacy. By Anna P. Kambhampaty Betcha Dela Cruz-Atabug didn’t want a ...

A very strange conversation with the chatbot built into Microsoft’s search engine led to it declaring its love for me. By Kevin Roose Kevin Roose is a technology columnist, and co-hosts the Times ...

Adam has a degree in Engineering, having always been fascinated by how tech works. Tech websites have saved him hours of tearing his hair out on countless occasions, and he enjoys the opportunity to ...

They say that trends come and go, but classics endure—and the conversation pit, yes, that staple of the 1960s living room, is slowly on its way toward becoming one of those classics. Described by a ...