Britain’s Loose Lips League Table - Catherine Blyth

We prefer to do it in queues rather than lifts, hairdressers do it best and nearly half of us are it more than twice a week – it seems Brits can’t get enough of small talk.

Research by Chit Chat Bingo paints a vivid picture of Britain’s conversational habits with Belfast topping the loose lips league (see league table below) – and more than 15 per cent of us finding romance from conversations with strangers.

• Nearly two-fifths of us chat to a stranger about once a week
• More than half say small talk brightens their day
• The weather and sport are the top conversation topics
• ‘Do you come here often’ is regarded as the worst small talk opener
• Simon Cowell and The Queen are most popular ‘dream conversations’
• People chat more openly online than in person
• Friendships, romance and marriage have been started from small talk