05 when conversations flow答案及定位分布.pdfVIP

When Conversations Flow

We spend a large part of our daily life talking with other people（Q27） and, consequently, we

are very accustomed to the art of conversing. But why do we feel comfortable in conversations

that have flow, but get nervous and distressed when a conversation is interrupted by

unexpected silences? To answer this question we will first look at some of the effects of

conversational flow. Then we will explain how flow can serve different social needs.

The positive consequences of conversational flow show some similarities with the effects of

processing fluency. Research has shown that processing fluency - the ease with which people

process information - influences peoples judgments across a broad range of social dimensions.

（Q28） For instance, people feel that when something is easily processed, it is more true or

accurate（Q28）. Moreover, they have more confidence in their judgements regarding

information that came to them fluently, and they like things that are easy to process more than

things that are difficult to process. Research indicates that a speaker is judged to be more

knowledgeable when they answer questions instantly（Q29）; responding with disfluent speech

markers such as uh or um or simply remaining silent for a moment too long can destroy that

positive image.

One of the social needs addressed by conversational flow is the human need for synchrony - to

be in sync or in harmony with one another. Many studies have shown how people attempt to

synchronize with their partners, by coordinating their behavior（Q33）. This interpersonal

coordination underlies a wide array of human activities, ranging from more complicated ones

like ballroom dancing to simply walking or talking with friends.

In conversations, inter