Call it trivial, but we still need to master the art of small talk | Yvonne Roberts

Four minutes of idle chat with a stranger could lead to new connections, a study by economists finds

The golden rule of small talk, as anyone who has worked behind a bar can testify, is don't say what's on your mind. Rule two, avoid any reference to politics, religion, money, death, health and sex. The price of a pint and the weather are safe bets, and can be discussed in idle chat night after night, often with the same regular, as if never mentioned before. No confrontation, little harm done, nothing given away. Or so it was once thought.

Now, economists Professor Daniel Sgroi and Neha Bose from the University of Warwick have conducted what they think is the first study of its kind, putting 338 individuals through an IQ and personality test before placing them in pairs to play two money games in which the extent of cooperation affected the outcome.