Many of us have learned that chatting with a friend, relative or classmate can improve our mood(情绪). And failing to communicate with others can also affect the health of our minds and bodies.
Now experts in the US have found that a good conversation just once a day could be enough to boost people's happiness and lower their stress levels.
The researchers looked at five types of conversation that past research has found to make people feel closer. These included things like sharing jokes, listening to others' opinions, discussing recent experiences, offering real praise and showing care for others. The researchers asked over 900 people at five US universities to have one of these five types of conversation each day. Then these people reported how their chats affected their stress, well-being and other feelings that day.
The researchers also looked at how the number of daily chats affected the people's well-being. And they found that while one good chat was enough to improve someone's mood, those who chose to have more of these conversations had better days. "This means the more you listened to your friends, the more you showed care, the more you took time to value others' opinions, the better you felt at the end of the day," one of the researchers said.
The researchers also said that meeting for a chat was better for people's well-being than using a phone or social medias.
