Today on Train of Thought, we crack open one of the great unspoken trials of urban existence: small talk — that strange, stilted, often soul-sapping ritual that happens in elevators, checkout lines, and awkward hallway encounters.
In this episode, our host explores what it truly means to endure — and perhaps even embrace — those subtle, inescapable exchanges. You know the ones. “Crazy weather, huh?” “Big day today?” “How’s it going?” (Said with just enough eye contact to make escape impossible.)
It’s the language of shared space. A script written in politeness, mumbled half-laughs, and emotional ambiguity. And while it may feel like a waste of words, this episode argues otherwise.
Through the lens of philosophy, anthropology, and a healthy dose of urban sarcasm, we ask: Is small talk a pointless social tic… or is it a low-key miracle of human connection? From Sartre’s existential dread to the concept of phatic communication, we unpack why we speak when there’s nothing to say — and how, somehow, that matters.
Because maybe it’s not about the weather. Maybe it’s about the gesture. The nod. The simple fact of being seen and acknowledged in a world moving just a little too fast.
Listen now if you’ve ever rehearsed your exit from a conversation that hasn’t even started yet — or secretly cherished a moment of human warmth hidden behind a “Long day, huh?”
Train of Thought — the podcast that makes small talk just a little less small.
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