Surprising power of small talk

Engaging in chitchat during your Zoom volunteer meeting has a positive impact on your work, according to a study at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Investigators analyzed video calls between people working on a task, focusing on the balance between chatter related and unrelated to the project, then distributed surveys afterward. The results? People enjoyed the task more when their collaborators took time for small talk, since discussing outside topics allows team members to show consideration for one another—a benefit that also holds for in-person meetings.