In conversation, how often are you interested?

Fleshing out that question (damned character limits) -

When you're speaking to someone in the range of new person-acquaintance-casual friend, what percentage of the time is the conversation around something you're actually interested in?

I'm very curious about how most of you would respond. I find boredom with the conversation topics a significant problem in getting to know a lot of people, and I'm curious whether its a common problem, or my interests are just unusually narrow .

Thoughts?

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75, but i have a lot of interests, and find a lot of things interesting.

maybe youre talking to the wrong people?

considering i will only continue talking to someone that i'm interested in, 99% of the time.

if the topic is me and how rad i am, than 100% of the time.

So how about that local sports team?

I was interested in about 10% of this thread, so if you can adjust that to your life, we're all set.

But that skirt looks so good with those shoes.

Comment

Yeah, so... if we could not derail?

I know everyone likes feeling witty, but the point isn't to *simulate* small-talk, but dissect it .

[Edited on Jan 10, 2005 by cseraph]

Well, if I want to be interested in what the person is saying, I can be.

If the person obviously sucks then why bother.

He said your power steering broke. It'll cost about $450 to fix.

Right but that's... not really what I mean. Obviously if the other person is shit-hot or somesuch, you have an incentive to listen to them talk about lint.

What I mean is, liking/being attracted to the person aside, how often is the actual topic something you find interesting? Not just now, but later, when they aren't there - or perhaps even in a week, or a year?

5% of the time I'm interested in the conversation.

So I told him to stop staring at my tits and get me a fucking cocktail.

Then, never. Of all the conversations I've had in my life I bet five I've remembered for any reason applicable to my life.

Yes, it's terrible what he did to you. No, you shouldn't have to put up with that. Yes, I know you wish you could find a nice guy. What's that? I'm not your type? A friend? Yes, yes - that's all I am.

I told you that bitch was crazy.

I'm interested in about 2% of this thread. Coincidentally, that 2% happens to be this post.

If it's boring talking to someone, you're probably trying way too hard.

nice weather we're having.

as of lately about 25% of the time

then again i am trying to move far away for a reason

BA-WEEP-GRANNA-WEEP-NINNY-BON!

I rarely listen to anything someone else is saying.

I have to make small talk for my job, and I usually find it pretty boring. ("So, tell me about yourself ) But when I meet people through friends, or at parties, I usually am interested. Rarely at bars, tho.