Everyone knows what it’s like to be in a boring conversation, but do you know how to avoid becoming a bore?

A new study highlights the 2 ingredients of conversations that make people want to spend more time with you

By combining these two ingredients, your interactions will become both more desirable and fulfilling.

Social communication occurs in an almost infinite number of contexts. There are the engrossing conversations you have with those you know and love, and the ones with relative strangers whose interactions you find interminable. You can tell the difference when you’re at the receiving end of a person you find boring vs. the person you find engaging and entertaining. But how sure are you that your conversations never stray into the world of the boring?

You can easily relate to this if you think about the situation that Lori faced while out at a recent work dinner. Her presence there was dictated by her boss, who insisted that she join a small group to entertain an out-of-town client. Things started out reasonably well, but by the time the second hour rolled along, she started manufacturing reasons inside her head that might allow her to make a quick exit. That out-of-town client was not only vacuous, but seemingly insensitive to the dulling impact he was having on the senses of everyone else at the table. Lori decided to learn from this and figure out ways that she could avoid the same trap when she became the star of the show.

What Makes Relational Communication Work

According to McGill University’s Marcos Domínguez-Arriola and Marc Pell (2026), “Successful conversations can have beneficial effects........

© Psychology Today