In a hypothetical scenario, research participants were willing to pay 6% more for a parcel of land if the male seller engaged in friendly small-talk before negotiating the deal, demonstrating that men benefit from striking up casual conversation before negotiations, says a team led by Brooke Shaughnessy of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Germany. For women, chitchat provides no such effect, though it does no harm. Chitchatting men may benefit from countering male stereotypes of reticence, the researchers suggest.

Source: Small Talk Pays Off for Male Negotiators