The sounds of silence in communicative encounters

Abstract

The interplay between intrapersonal and interpersonal communication is highlighted through an exploration of the conditions under which people experience silences in conversation to be discomforting. Preliminary experimental findings indicated that conversations between acquaintances were devalued in certain ways when they did contain silences. However, when silences were sanctioned by an accompanying activity, the conversations were rated more favorably. The inferences subjects provided regarding the thoughts and feelings of conversants during their silences suggest that more negative, anxiety‐producing thoughts might accompany those silences which are not sanctioned. It is suggested that those intrapersonal awarenesses which accompany silence, as well as other features of conversation, might illuminate personal, cultural, and relational “communicative norms” or expectations. Furthermore, they might affect resulting patterns of interpersonal attraction, interpersonal relatedness, and communication satisfaction.