How do you reconcile "Every social interaction is a kind of investment" with "I might be in a particularly good mood and actually strike up a conversation"?
Does being in a good mood mean that you will get more upside to the "investment" of small talk? Are you being optimistic that the conversation will be productive (i.e. "maybe I'll learn something interesting or make an important connection"), or does the act of engaging in small talk yield its own reward, dependent on being in the right mood?
> How do you reconcile "Every social interaction is a kind of investment" with "I might be in a particularly good mood and actually strike up a conversation"?
The price to buy in is less when you're in a good mood.
Absolutely true. I tend to attract good energy when I put out good energy. The inverse, too. It's palpable. If I walked around always in the space of my lowest band, I'd see the world and people as pretty bad.
Once in a while, something really good happens and I have no one to tell about it. In those cases, some typically dormant circuit in my personality lights up and I want to talk. So I'll start the small talk off, but look for an opening to talk about my experience.
Does being in a good mood mean that you will get more upside to the "investment" of small talk? Are you being optimistic that the conversation will be productive (i.e. "maybe I'll learn something interesting or make an important connection"), or does the act of engaging in small talk yield its own reward, dependent on being in the right mood?