Think of the parents you see in the drop-off zone at your kid’s school, your favourite waiter, and other dog owners at the park. Sociologists(社会学家) call these 【小题1】 “weak ties”. Not only can these connections affect our career development, but they can also have a positive 【小题2】 on our well-being.

Maintaining a network of acquaintances(熟人) can help you feel more connected. The desire to belong and to form social circles is a 【小题3】 human need, alongside food, sleep and safety. But once we hit 25, the number of friends we have 【小题4】 and becomes smaller over time, according to a 2016 study. As we get older and what we care about shifts from after-work bowling leagues to after-school pickup, 【小题5】 a busy social life becomes less important. Staying 【小题6】 related, then, is essential to personal fulfilment.

Besides, having at least a few acquaintances can connect us with a larger circle of people, which is 【小题7】 news, for example, for job hunters. Even if our friends want to help us find a job, weak ties are often the ones who 【小题8】 the job-search playing field.

Those acquaintances also 【小题9】 us with a wider world view. Regularly interacting with people who have different experiences than we do allows us to be more considerate towards others. This, in turn, builds empathy(共情能力).

Still, casual friends have a lot to offer. Uncovering surprising news about the regular players in one’s life— 【小题10】 that your neighbour is a famous dancer, for instance-can spice up your day.

Secrets are bad for your health

I grew up in a Midwestern town where the popular wisdom was to only talk about what was pleasant and to keep secrets，if necessary，to make that happen.This meant staying silent when someone offended you，rarely 【小题1】 negative feelings and smiling a little more than is necessary. It also meant 【小题2】 room for airing any sort of dirty laundry，especially not the kinds of personal secrets that keep people up at night.

Many of us like to believe that sweeping unpleasant truths under the rug might make them 【小题3】 go away. Instead，keeping secrets--especially heavy ones--can spin an even more 【小题4】 web of isolation and deception. So why do we do it？

The truth can hurt. But in many situations，it s better to get it out and let the 【小题5】 start，rather than allowing it to become more dangerous.The burden of 【小题6】 in the truth doesn't just disappear. It hides itself in the back of your mind and can cause a number of 【小题7】   to your life and health.

"If the situations in your daily life are regular 【小题8】 of the secret，and you find it stressful to keep it，then yes，it can have emotional and physical consequences.” says Dr.Dean McKay. “Some people also find keeping secrets stressful out of a general 【小题9】 that they will 'slip’. This 【小题10】 and recurring thought of the secret can in itself be stressful.”

Berlin: At nine most mornings the same scene is repeated in office buildings around the world. An employee walks into the elevator with his boss and apart from a mumbled “good morning” the junior is lost for other words. That’s an opportunity missed, says experts, who believe that such an 【小题1】 dull 30-second conversation can be invaluable for those who want to climb the career ladder.

“Small talk can help establish a 【小题2】upon which you can build,” says Dusseldorf communication advisor Thorsten Knobble, whose company customize curriculum vitas and job references.

As a matter of fact, the 【小题3】 of small talk goes far beyond the relationship to one’s boss. People who fail the art of speaking a lot without 【小题4】 saying anything find it harder to 【小题5】 relationships in the workplace, believes Ulrich Goldschmidt, director of the senior management association VDF Essen“Small talk is an 【小题6】 part of networking,” he says.

Virtually every conversation begins and 【小题7】 with small talk, according to Wolf Lasko, who has written a book on the topic and its bearing on career prospects.

Not everyone is good at small talk. It takes skill to 【小题8】 the right moment and the right topic with which to start a conversation. There are plenty of topics although some are not 【小题9】 for informal chat. “Anything to do with sex is taboo,” cautions Knobble. “【小题10】 is needed with politics, religion, money and health.” Safe topics include the holidays, the movies, or sports.