I'm from Argentina and I'm still not used to how much people chat with strangers here in the US

I think a lot of Americans don’t even think of it as a “real conversation,” it’s more like a social ritual. Small talk here is less about actually sharing information and more about signaling friendliness and “no threat.” That’s why people ask questions they don’t necessarily expect deep answers to. Some people genuinely enjoy it, but a lot just do it automatically because it’s the norm. And yeah, if someone doesn’t engage at all, it can feel a bit off, but not usually offensive, just noticeable.

You want to be ignored and left alone? Come to New York, and you will be accommodated.

Cause we’re a melting pot and it can help brighten up our day from dealing with the daily BS struggles of life

As a cashier I always appreciated the customers who chatted a bit, because it was a brief recognition that I was a human and not just a walking, breathing money collecting machine.

I like it depending on my mood, and small talk isn't common in all parts of the country. Big cities people assume you are going to want something from them and won't respond. Midwesterns are big talkers lol, have had the same experience in small towns in Canada. I actually kinda miss the casual friendliness when I visit places that the culture is colder socially. It's boring. The only thing I don't like in small talk is when people get nosey or personal too fast. Or give me a wild opinion I don't want to hear..

People are so much less chatty in the US than in Brazil. I'm surprised Argentina is so much quieter. But you guys did go through a long ass period of mass surveilance and anything you said at any moment could get you thrown off a helicopter into a river for no real reason. So it makes sense.

I'm from the US, and I'm not used to it either.

It really heavily depends on exactly what part of the us you're in tbh. people in the midwest or the south will literally talk your ear off in the grocery store checkout line, but if you go to new york everyone will just comfortably pretend you don't exist ngl.

Besides the national parks, it's one of the nicer things about the US

As Kurt Vonnegut said, "We're here on Earth to fart around." [https://www.listnook.com/r/taoism/comments/1mnjy3e/vonnegut\_on\_farting\_around/](https://www.listnook.com/r/taoism/comments/1mnjy3e/vonnegut_on_farting_around/)

I quite enjoy it bc it makes me feel more connected and comfortable outside! I’m a very anxious and socially inept person so it helps me practice conversation skills even if it’s a short “hey how are ya?” talk.

Where in the US are you talking about?

I have to try to be more social, but I’m usually glad the times I do. Yea it’s pretty normal over here for a lot of people.

I live where people have interesting accents and are generally friendly and I like it. You can hear the funniest things. I dont start conversations but I usually don't end them because the person often says something funny. Like the other day at the grocery a guy started talking about what cheese he liked. He kept saying parjon for parmesan.

I come from that culture of being very open and talking randomly with strangers. My husband is from a different country, and thinks it's a bit absurd. For example, if we're taking a walk down the street or anywhere, in a park or trail, here in the US/Canada, people say hello to each other as a standard when passing by. That was strange for him to get used to and he didn't get the point, as no one does it back in his home country, everyone just minds their own business. But I think it's a nice custom. It's something I didn't even think about before meeting him. Speaking at the grocery store or saying hello on a walk was and is a totally normal thing to do, and I think that overall, it creates a nice atmosphere. Sometimes interesting conversations come out of it too. But I also totally get your point for people coming from other countries!

Yes, I agree with other posters who say this is mostly just a social custom and we don’t really think twice about it. However, this custom varies depending on where you are. I think (or at least I hope) a lot of people try to read the non-verbals first to assess if people are “small-talkers” or not. So, do I enjoy it? Sometimes. Does it feel weird when someone doesn’t? Not at all.

I think it's one of the best aspects of American culture, TBH. But as a chatty person, I am biased.

We don't have third spaces anymore so we are desperate to connect.

Americans are Labrador Retrievers.

To me, strangers are just friends I haven’t met yet

Isn’t that the point of being a human being?

I've found most Americans to be quite friendly and gregarious. It does help if you are white and have an accent.

I enjoy it, but I have learned to accept when people aren't feeling it. I've had days I don't want to chat. But for the most part, people give the impression that they're open to talk.

Yes, I do enjoy small talk, so much so that I took a volunteer role working in elder services where 90% of what I do is sit and chat with people.

I love living in a small town in the south in part for the friendly feeling of small talk. I don't know anyone I bump into well, but it's nice to share laments about the day or jokes about the weather.

I lived in Argentina in the 80s. I talked to people everywhere, colectivos, restaurantes, todos lados. I never noticed much of a difference in the US and Argentina on how much randos talk to each other. Maybe I was just clueless. Maybe you are a porteño and I lived in las provincias? Or maybe the dirty war made people more wary of strangers? I left just before the war of las Malvinas.

And yet, you hopped on to Listnook to talk to strangers 😆😆😆

I dress like a punk and have S-tier resting b**** face. And I'm deaf. I very, very rarely get small talk, even in places where people are known for being friendly. What works is not making eye contact with people and keeping a brisk air about you with a serious face. You're allowed to say "sorry, I'm in a rush" or "sorry, I'm trying to focus, I can't talk right now".  Tbqh I'm surprised OP is getting this frequently. I know women tend to be approached for small talk a lot more, so maybe it's that. It must be something about their demeanor that's inviting people in; maybe they look like a famous person, or are just attractive, or are living in a very small town. I'll say it's not super common at all to be approached by randos for small talk, especially in any area that's even remotely urban. And I think it's a good thing OP is getting approached! They must look open and friendly. And it's a sign of a safe area for a rando to talk to you and have zero intentions outside of the conversation (like selling you something or robbing you).

I should move to Argentina because I hate small talk.

I met some dominicans yesterday, are we the the argentina of europe? Is argentina the switzerland of south america? fascinating questions I can not answer

Australians chat like crazy with each other when out and about. To strangers, on running paths, in shops. Some regions and cities are more known for it. I like it. It’s definitely confronting sometimes for friends and colleagues who’ve come from other societies though.

I’m in the south and most people won’t bat an eye if you start talking to them. When I travel, it feels weird not saying good morning in the hotel etc.

As someone who moved to the US from a country where strangers don't really talk to each other, I went through the exact same adjustment. For the first few months I kept thinking "what does this person want from me?" every time a cashier asked how my day was going. What helped me understand it: a friend explained that American small talk is basically a social handshake. It's not really about the content — it's about signaling "I see you, you're safe, we're okay." Once I reframed it that way, it stopped feeling intrusive and started feeling kind of warm. Now I actually miss it when I visit places where nobody does it.

Is just being friendly. I enjoy it.

I love talking to strangers and learning about them. I’d probably want to hear all about your experiences here compared to Argentina, what foods you like etc.

Im brasilian and have been to Argentina, also had an ex from there. I thought the argentinians were pretty closed ppl. In Chile that i also have been to ppl are much more like we are in Brasil.. open to chatting and being welcoming. The coldness of the argentinians surprised me

Come to the PNW, we keep it to a minimum at all times. I always say that you could be getting robbed in the middle of town and nobody will speak up because it’s not their business, and we mind our business up here.

Where is this? I live in DFW, and this rarely happens. People don't talk to each other, and it's an overall very lonely atmosphere.

I personally don't enjoy much beyond saying "excuse me" to get by someone or commenting solidarity on someone wearing a Steelers jersey. I didn't come out to the store to converse with people.

More introverted and shy people don’t like it. Occasionally it’s good but other times it’s not worth the energy. More gregarious people probably think small talk haters are being rude but they might be polite and don’t want to bother people or be bothered.

I dislike small talk. I don't mind occasional interactions over topics of substance... but repeating "I'm fine, you?" 50x a day like a parrot is nauseating. Like, if you don't have anything real to say please leave me to my deeper thoughts.

Small talk is also opening a door to more. How to get started without small talk?

As an American, I hate it most of the time and generally when I'm alone in public, I have headphones in for this reason. Honestly, I'm not always listening to something, but the headphones send a strong "do not talk to me" signal.

I personally enjoy chatting with people. But in many situations people just want to be left alone to do whatever it is they're there to do.

Which city or state you’re in? It’s not that common in big cities like NYC.

I enjoy it when we’re in our small mountain community in N. Georgia. When we’re in the city, there’s a whole other vibe, and I don’t enjoy it as much.

I think many Americans are lonely, so we naturally chat to feel less lonely and possibly make a friend. It is still a win if we can brighten your day a little.

People who don't respond back to polite chit chat just seem rude to me. We understand cultural differences, though, but when inRomenRome, do as the Roman's do.

I do enjoy I. And I feel bad when people don’t respond politely and act like I’m doing something weird by speaking to them 

I engage in small talk. But if they're not interested, I stop

I feel it’s important to acknowledge the existence of others …”I see you.”

I have observed a great decline in it over the years, to tell you the truth. Americans are less open and less sociable now than in the past. We are much more guarded now. Small talk has increasingly taken on an subtle tone of threat assessment.

Look at it this way: what's Listnook but many strangers chatting with each other about all kinds of things. Americans like to do this in person. You can meet amazing people this way; maybe even make a lifelong friend. There's a lot of cool people out there

I grew up in North Carolina,  it's a social ritual and a way of feeling connected to strangers, and a way of making friends.  I talk to anyone, anywhere, and had the experience, visiting in New York City,  of having people follow me around to tell me their stories.   I got the impression New Yorkers don't talk to each other. 

It always surprises me hearing that there are places where people stand together silently. I am not a big-USA fan, but I do like making connections with strangers. There are so many people in the world. And you never know - giving a stranger a compliment, engaging in a little discussion - it can make someone’s day better. You might learn something, gain a new perspective, find you are able to give, learn to accept help, or make a new friend.

I guess I don't think about it but, it's actually pretty awesome that we can just go anywhere in the country and strike up conversations with each other for no other reason than to give and recieve a smile.  

I hate small talk and I try to not talk with strangers. I may be in the minority, not sure.

I've lived in the USA for quite a while and I'm still not used to it.

i’ve been here my whole life and it still baffles me that people try to talk to me unsolicited lol

I think people here are lonely. Smaller families may have much to with it. I am an introvert and it is very hard for me speak to strangers. People here think that make me weird or broken.

I’ve always thought it’s because Americans have always been on the move: the pioneers moving out west, and now northerners moving south. You never really knew if anyone was a stranger or not. But once we started doing it, and it wasn’t the downfall of civilization, we kept it up. It was nice.

Personally, when I discover someone is visiting from outside my city, I wanna be helpful and guide them to some of the cool that’s her known stuff. Good trails good food best coffee best breakfast that’s sort of thing. I wanna have everyone walk away with a positive experience.

Ya, I think most of us enjoy chatting. “A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet” as some of us say. It’s definitely more common the smaller the town/city you live in. I feel like there’s a pretty good sense of community in America that is unfortunately being eroded by the internet and politics. There is a lot of sense of shared experience with people in your community and small moments where we relate to each other. That can range from talking about sports to commiserating at how slow the bus is. I think it’s one of our greatest strengths and we really need to stop letting people put us against each other.

I enjoy it, a little personal connection during the day is nice. We know it’s not deep conversation and it doesn’t mean we are best friends. It’s just a social ritual to pass the time and enjoy a brief connection.

I’m from Seattle and we are known to have something called the “Seattle Freeze”. Seattleites are often described as nice but reserved, leading to polite conversations that rarely turn into lasting friendships. Please keep in mind that I have had some of the best conversations with strangers. We are polite and yet will speak up and be authentically ourselves if the topic piques our interests. We are friendly and yet don’t easily friend others. Edit: our small talk chit chat game is very poor around here in general. It’s mainly surrounds Seahawks and Mariners sports teams. Also if the mountain is out.

Unlike in Argentina, people in US are living far more isolatedly.

I love small talk. It makes me feel very much a part of my community.

I think we do it without thinking because it’s just a normal thing, not so much because it’s expected. I don’t usually initiate conversations with strangers but I’m usually more than happy to participate when someone else does. It’s not something I ever really thought about until I started hearing people from other countries mention it like it’s a unique thing here.

Part of my job includes small talk with strangers. Sometimes, I have to ask them very personal questions because of the business we're doing. If I'm just out and about, I don't generally start the conversations, but I will respond if folks want to talk.

**I** actually enjoy small talk. It feeds my extrovert brain. If I don’t get to chat with a stranger at least every other day, I get restless and grumpy. I especially like to learn about people who come from different places. As I live in Washington DC, that is almost everybody. By the way, I did a big research project about Argentina when I was in grade school. I’ve had a peculiar fondness for the place ever since, even though I’ve never been there. :)

One of the definite downsides when my friend and I visited Germany was how unwilling Germans in bars were to talk to strangers.

We're just friendly like that.

We just went to a burger place this evening and I chatted with a woman about our love of crunching on ice(we Americans love our ice). And yes it’s bad for teeth. 😬 Yesterday I talked to a lady at the grocery about old conversion vans from the 70’s and listened to her lament about how she hit a deer while driving. I brought up none of these conversations but happily obliged because it’s a friendly connection with a neighbor and that’s what you do. Sometimes people need to chat. After the small talk you say “have a nice day” and go about your business. Maybe it’s a Michigan thing idk.

Move to Seattle if you don’t want to talk to strangers. The freeze is real.

I'm from the US, and I still don't like the idea that you need to exchange pleasantries with everybody you meet. I tend to keep to myself and prefer not to have to force conversation

Small talk is nonsense, why interrupt the beauty of silence unless you have something really important to say?