How to be Interesting

1. titular (adj.)
2. superficially (adv.)
3. subterfuge (n)
4. preconception (n)
5. marginalise (v)
6. minutiae (n)
7. rewire (v)
8. affinity (n)

1. the small and usually uninteresting details of something
2. in a manner that appears to be a certain way until it is inspected more closely
3. mentioned in the title of a book or film
4. a strong feeling of understanding and interest in a particular thing or person
5. an idea you have before getting enough information to really understand something
6. put a new system for electricity into a house or building to replace the old one
7. make someone or something feel less significant or take away their power
8. a plan or way of acting that is meant to deceive someone

Match the following titles to paragraphs A – F in the article on page 4. There are more titles than paragraphs.

• Socialising tips
• A key motivation
• The most boring profession?
• The social cost
• Physical attraction
• Shocked into action
• First impressions
• Uninformed notions

A. ___________________________

You’re on a dating app looking for someone who will be the love of your life. You scroll through the sea of faces and see someone who you think looks fairly attractive. Because that’s what everyone is looking at to begin with, isn’t it? Someone who is physically attractive. The next stage is to find out a little more of what they are about. On their profile, it says ‘I’m an accountant. My interests include watching TV and sleeping. LOL’. Would you write them a message to find out more?

B. ___________________________

Many of us would move on. Neither watching TV nor sleeping require any particular skill and are activities the vast majority of us do. To add to that, the job of accountant is often short-hand for someone who is uninteresting. In the 2016 film, The Accountant, Ben Affleck plays the titular character whose superficially bland lifestyle is cover for his work as a trained killer. The job is a deliberately dull subterfuge for someone who doesn’t want anyone looking too closely at what he does.

C. ___________________________

According to recent research, we all hold preconceptions of what makes someone interesting
or dreary. Stereotypes exist around certain occupations, hobbies, accents, and even areas where people live being boring. Yet, like all stereotypes, they aren’t based in fact, and can lead to certain people being marginalised in social situations. The accountant on your dating app may well not be good at writing a profile, but they could easily be very amusing, have had numerous adventures while travelling in distant lands, and be an extraordinary cook. Yet that doesn’t stop us judging them before we’ve even met them.

D. ___________________________

Fear of boredom, it has emerged, is a powerful motivator. Researchers at the University of Virginia asked participants to spend 15 minutes in a virtually empty room with no access to phones, computers or anything to read. What they did have access to was a small button which, when pressed, would give them a small electric shock. 43% of the volunteers chose to
deliberately shock themselves to pass the time, even though it involved pain. It seems that stimulation, even if it hurts, is preferable to no stimulation at all. These results were reproduced in other experiments too. Boredom, it was concluded, is a built-in driver that leads us to seek out new places, new ways of doing things, and meet new people. Without it, humankind wouldn’t have progressed too far.

E. ___________________________

In social situations such as dating and parties, part of the issue is that people have a fear
of getting stuck talking to someone who they don’t find interesting while simultaneously missing out on meeting a person who they find deeply fascinating. The tedium of someone explaining to you the minutiae of how they rewired their house recently is only exacerbated by the laughter of other people nearby having infinitely more interesting and hilarious conversations. We are all too painfully aware that the conversation we are stuck in is costing
us socially. This is why we are often too quick to form opinions on someone and how much they will hold our interest before talking to them.

F. ___________________________

There are ways of avoiding being judged too. First of all, if you’re asked about your job, emphasise the part of it that interests you. Swapping ‘I’m an accountant’ for ‘I help people manage their finances’ is more likely to lead to questions. Secondly, talk about your passions. Even if it’s not a hobby, a fascination with going to a South Pacific Island can be just as interesting as someone who has been ballet dancing since the age of 7. Even if something isn’t of interest to us personally, it’s difficult to not be intrigued by someone who feels a great affinity for, a particular subject. Finally, be sure to make sure the questions go both ways in a social situation. Most people love talking about themselves, so remember that there are two people in the conversation you’re having in the kitchen. Keeping an open mind when it comes to meeting people may well lead us to meeting people that later, we will not be able to imagine living without.