Conversations are essential to our well-beingbut what happens when they are boring?
Especially for certain kinds of intelligent and creative people who need more than someone’s mere presence to be entertained and stimulated, boredom naturally creeps in. While they might be able to accommodate it, it’s also possible that you’ll hear the many phrases that people who get bored super easily almost always say in casual conversation. Unfortunately, it can often rub other people the wrong way.
People who get bored super easily almost always say 10 sentences in a casual conversation
1. ‘Let’s go one step further’
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People with a higher level of mental complexity often need someone to match their depth to feel entertained and understood in conversations. They need someone who can bring nuanced ideas. They want the challenge of a unique problem. They want to hear about someone’s uniqueness from their mouth, rather than trying to hold a conversation with a single-minded, boring person.
There is a reason for that intelligent people are daydreamers by nature. They have so much complexity and information swirling around in their minds that they need these little moments to zone out and refresh. Especially in a boring conversation with someone who doesn’t add anything they want to go in or zone out more often.
2. ‘Let’s think about it in a different way’
Many creative people with innovative thought patterns are used to going outside the box. They are always considering the opposite side of an argument or playing devil’s advocate, so of course they need people in conversations to allow this kind of structure.
They consider something new and play with unique ideas, so they need people who don’t cling to a rigid, overly analytical path.
3. ‘Tell me what you think’
According to a study from NeuroImagecreative people often need exposure to the ideas and thoughts of others to boost their own inspiration. They need the verbal clutter to stimulate their own brains. It is part of the reason that as another study from Psychological Science explains, creative people thrive when their workspaces and desks are a bit more cluttered than the average person’s.
You’ll often hear them say things like “tell me what you think” in conversations, especially when they’re not sure how to solve a problem or haven’t quite thought their whole point through yet. They need other people to shape the way they brainstorm and offer unique ideas and perspectives, even in casual conversation.
4. ‘It seems too simple’
A study from Frontiers in Sociology found that boredom is not always a lack of interest or a sign of inner complexity, but a situation of lack of challenge. Especially for people who are comfortable with and seek out adversity for resilience’s sake or challenges for the sake of growth, in casual conversation they use phrases like this.
They are driven by an internal need for stimulation or challenge, and while the average person can exist without these things, they are instantly bored without them.
5. ‘I feel like I don’t really know you’
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While oversharing can sometimes cut people off and create all kinds of emotional burdens, most of the time, people at least enjoy getting a little deeper than small talk. While the average person might overestimate how awkward these conversations will be or stick to small talk out of personal discomfort and anxiety, people who need stimulation crave something else.
These are the people who say those kinds of sentences and ask more interesting questions. They break the social script that everyone else adheres to and create more interesting interactions. They make conversations go deeper, because when they’re shallow, they’re boring.
6. ‘I disagree’
Most intelligent people enjoy debates and complex conversations because they learn. They are not necessarily trying to win any arguments or prove themselves right, but instead seek the cognitive effort and stimulation of these interactions.
They enjoy putting together complex problems and understanding someone who doesn’t share their opinions because they make conversations interesting and turn on the reward centers in their brains. Of course, they get super bored when conversations are overly simplistic and shallow because they lack all those stimulation pillars that they love.
7. ‘Have we met before?’
Many people in search of more stimulating, meaningful conversations in the midst of everyday life will actively seek out new interactions. They will introduce themselves to strangers and ask questions like “Have we met before?” all in search of social meaning.
Although it may seem annoying or overwhelming to someone who prefers alone time or small talk, a study from the University of Kansas suggests that just one of these deep conversations a day significantly increases well-being for everyone.
8. ‘What interests you about it?’
Curiosity is often what drives stimulating conversations and interactions because the curious ask questions and break the social script. Instead of “How are you?” and “nice to meet you,” as craftsman drainage moments of small talk and unnecessary talkthese people ask the kinds of questions that spark better conversations.
They delve deeper into topics and interests that most people might overlook or find boring because saying nothing or using passive phrases like “that’s interesting” only makes them more bored.
9. ‘What does that mean?’
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While the search for meaning and knowledge in conversations tends to come from less obvious questions, sometimes, “What does this mean?” actually makes interactions more interesting. Especially for “meaning seekers” who need stimulation and depth in their conversations, this phrase can be the most accessible way to delve deeper into casual interactions.
Whether it’s a person’s opinion or a complex problem, they delve deeper every chance they get.
10. ‘I’m Just Thinking’
Ironically, many people with complex minds bored with small talk easily prefers the “awkward” silence that everyone else avoids. They prefer to entertain themselves by thinking introspectively rather than entertaining those around them and filling the silence with unnecessary chatter.
They can reflect, solve problems, regulate their emotions, and even entertain themselves by going inward, even when it appears that they are completely disengaged or excluded from everything else.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & politics and gender studies, focusing on psychology, relationships, self-help and human interest stories.
