When meeting someone new, try skirting the small talk and digging a little deeper

By Amit Kumar, Assistant Professor of Marketing, University of Texas at Austin
Michael Kardas, Postdoctoral Fellow in Management and Marketing, Northwestern University
Nicholas Epley, John Templeton Keller Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science, University of Chicago

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic persists, there’s hope that life will return to some level of normalcy in 2022.

This includes more opportunities to meet new people and build friendships, a process that’s critical for mental and physical well-being.

This does not, however, mean that everyone will take advantage of these new chances to connect.

Even before fears of a virus compelled most people to stay physically…

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