Pub is hub of conversation
The pub is the best place outside the home for conversation, according to a new survey by Courage Beer.
50% of those quizzed have made new friends by talking to people in the pub, and the pub (43%) is also the place where you are most likely to strike up a conversation with a stranger, followed by long haul flights (38%) and nightclubs (27%).
The Courage Beer Conversations survey of 3,000 British adults showed that the average person has 27 conversations every day, lasting an average of 10 minutes each — adding up to 4.5 hours a day or nearly 68 days a year.
Geordies are the UK's most gregarious with the North East weighing in with an average of 33 conversations per day — closely followed by the Welsh on 32, while the Northern Irish are least outgoing with an average of 22 conversations every day.
But the survey also revealed that 43% of all conversations are deemed pointless.
A total of 48% believe technology allows us to talk more - but often through a different medium such as Facebook.
"The pub has had a unique role in British society as the incubator of talk of many kinds," said historian Theodore Zeldin.
"Now that technology is encouraging less face to face interaction, the pub has the opportunity to develop new forms of conversation and of social interaction."
Chris Lewis, from Courage Beer brewers Wells & Young's, added: "It's fascinating to see that whilst the way we communicate is changing, the pub remains the environment for the best conversations."
