The brilliance of phatic communication

Today I laughed to myself at the phatic communication that we use so often; where you see someone in your gaze that you know but that you don't know well enough to get into a big conversation, and so the few words that blur into one are spoken.

A: Hi you all right?

B: Yeah thanks, are you?

A: Yeah.....

That's the end of your meeting, and it's rare to even answer back to 'are you?'....after the 'Hi you all right?' part, that's usually that and the gaze is broken and you carry on walking away. Like myself, maybe you think to yourself, was she/he really asking me how I was or not? and think whoops! for walking away to quickly.

The phrase, 'Hi, you all right?' has now blurred into one greeting and has lost the questioning tone to it. The meaning of asking how people are I think has weakened, because I have noticed that whenever somebody asks me how I am and really means it, their tone is direct and deepens and this changes to when it's just small talk.

Another big one for phatic communication is weather! Every time I have small talk with someone, the weather comes up no matter what.

'It's freezing today...isn't it colder than yesterday?'

'I can't believe it's raining, I didn't even think to bring my umbrella.'

'How nice is this sunshine! Although, I doubt it will last.'

The thing that really tickles me is that I talk about the weather with everyone, no matter how close I am with them, and I can't help myself. It seems to be an automatic conversation that has to be used at least once in a day. British weather is fun, it changes all the time and it gives us something to talk about when we're in a hole and can't dig ourselves out.

Phatic communication has won me over!