The Pleasures of Talking Nonsense with Someone We Love

We might expect that, if we could eavesdrop on the conversations of the most admirable, clever and loving couples in the world, those who had properly cracked the puzzles of intimacy and emotional maturity, we would hear them talking in the noblest ways about the most serious things…

Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription:

Learn, heal and grow. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox:

FURTHER READING

You can read more on this and other subjects in our articles, here:

ā€œWe might expect that, if we could eavesdrop on the conversations of the most admirable, clever and loving couples in the world, those who had properly cracked the puzzles of intimacy and emotional maturity, we would hear them talking in the noblest ways about the most serious things.

On any given evening, they might be found discussing the connections between attachment theory and their early bonds with their parents, they might read a paper together by Melanie Klein or they might relax by watching an early film by Akira Kurosawa (Rashomon or Sanshiro Sugata). So it may come as a surprise that in all likelihood, these couples would do nothing of the sort. Through our recording equipment, we might hear some of the following: one of them starting to wonder why bananas grow in an oblong curved shape, the other – not quite listening – going off on a tangent about an ulcer they’ve got on the left side of their tongue while filing a toenail and half glancing at an airline review video on YouTube, which might be followed by the other speculating (for no apparent reason, in a bad imitation of a German accent) on the lyrics in an album by Dire Straits, which might be a prelude to their partner suggesting that they wanted to follow up on last night’s reheated curry with a chocolate biscuit dipped in strawberry yoghurtā€¦ā€

MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE

Watch more films on RELATIONSHIPS in our playlist:

SOCIAL MEDIA

Feel free to follow us at the links below:

X:
Instagram:
LinkedIn:
TikTok:

CREDITS

Produced in collaboration with:

Mike Booth

Title animation produced in collaboration with

Graeme Probert
www.gpmotion.co.uk

88 thoughts on “The Pleasures of Talking Nonsense with Someone We Love

    1. I once read somewhere that when we break up, regardless of whether it was consensual or initiated by one of the two parties, we enter a mourning phase. And what we mourn is not the loss of our lover per se, but the inside jokes, the intimacy, the memories, the whole world that existed within that relationship.
      Okay, I’m not explaining myself well, but I hope you get the gist of what I’m trying to convey. Which relates to your original comment.

    2. And that’s why I’ve put my ego aside to stay friends with my latest ex. The shared connection runs too deep to just throw it all away šŸ˜Šā¤

    3. @@marilember The idea that not having a romantic relationship has to mean not having any relationship at all is just vile and beastly. I still miss the communication I had with my ex, while she decided that I don’t exist anymore because I’m not ”the one”.

  1. This is why the failure of communication in a relationship can be so hard. When you no longer have that person in your life, even if you are still legally together, it feels extremely isolating. It’s almost living in a kind of exile. 😢

    1. This is why I try to be as authentic to myself as possible, so I don’t need that person to be open with the world.

  2. If someone heard the dialog between my wife and me they would certainly think we’re weird. We talk so weird it causes us to laugh 😃.

    1. That’s me and my co workers, if anyone would walk up on the office on one of those random moments they would think we were all highšŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚

    2. I remember a conversation I had with my girl about butt hairs. It was strange hilarious and we ended with ‘NO ONE SHOULD HEAR US TALKING ABOUT BUTT HARIS”. Yes, this is the most beautiful part of relationships. Nothing talks about everything and everything talks about nothing.

  3. When I hug my partner, he will exhale, but while exhaling, I’ll squeeze him gently to make his exhales into short little bursts, and then we laugh lol

  4. “Intimacy is about daring to be increasingly and bravely weird with someone else and finding out that’s OK with them.”
    Best line from this video.

    When you get older and really want to settle down, it’s no longer those fiery explosive relationship that you truly crave but the relationship that gives you peace, comfort and put you at ease.

    There’s a Chinese saying like ‘Instead of the fireworks in the night sky, I much appreciate the good ol’ reliable street light by your window.’

    1. Can’t you have both the fireworks and the comfort? Sounds extremely boring, the thing you want.

    2. @@margo3367 It really depends on your definition of fireworks. I mean, much can be accomplished by the light of a street lamp, especially if you have the will.

    3. @@dierdrecole8027 Soulmates = work. Good work – but there is no magic, no found, no skipping until the end. Good relationships take work and love and communication and forgiveness and the best of you that you have, day after day. Like everything good, there are no shortcuts.

    4. Sounds like my idea of hell. – You’re welcome to it. My dog doesn’t ask all that of me, and he’ll never wake up one morning, and think: – This isn’t working for me. I’m feeling a little unfulfilled. I can do much better than this. I’ll leave, and take half of everything. Job done!

  5. I find my coworkers and I also do this, since we’re in each other’s company for such long hours day after day. We know the ins and outs of each other’s lives. And we share our internal monologues aloud often. We love to be silly together

    1. same here! we love being silly. my approach to interactions is to have fun and create enjoyment. spread the silliness and joy and laughter!

    2. This is exactly what my coworkers and I do and it’s one of the biggest reasons I still work where I do.

    3. The coworkers who break your trust or climb the slippery ladder of promotion by screwing over the team is worse than I’d guess a private relationship.

      But the folks here talking about workmates early just want to marry them it sounds like. Cheaters in the wings

  6. I talk this way to myself. And I am alone on Christmas. I think the banana grows that way in bunches because some part of the plant grows up toward the sun. And some bananas in the middle are very straight. It’s very neat. And I think it’s dinner time. I love you, you handsome dude.

    1. I am alone on Xmas as well and I believe that creative spark that makes us do silly things is what life is worth living for!

    2. I am alone, but not lonely on Xmas. I have been with myself, finding joy in the most skurril thoughts and making myself dinner, too. It has been wonderful and peaceful. Merry Christmas!

  7. “They talk sheeeiiitt…” šŸ˜‚ always funny to hear an eloquent voice swear.

  8. This is exactly my love language. Sadly people take it for being immature and weird but this is what it all comes down to at the end.

    1. I think most people just have a hard time never being able to be serious. Romance basically just taking your love for each other seriously, and treating it like it’s sacred. I’ve had partners before where I’ve had to give them more serious moments in order for them to feel comfortable being silly with me. Compromise was important to them. I hope they’re doing well.

    2. You will find people of your type. Don’t give being yourself up. My mother is just like you and oh boi she’s the sun of the house šŸ„¹ā™„ļø

  9. Small talk and nonsense yap sessions with people i love is genuinely one of my favorite hobbies

    1. So do I. It’s one of those moments in life that feel like the best thing in the world. The most amazing part of your day

  10. Every healthy couple I have known, from teenagers to elders, will tell you the importance of keeping play, laughter and goofiness as a crucial part of staying in love.

  11. Tbh, no one is ā€œnormalā€ and no one is ā€œboringā€ if we get to know them in depth. Everyone has their own quirks and weird stories to share, it’s just a matter of meeting the people we can be silly with. The most boring person to us can be the most interesting to someone else

  12. My sister and I refer to this as “sharing a braincell” and it’s the best thing ever

  13. This is my husband and I 24/7. We have so many inside jokes, many going back a decade or more, funny voices, my husband makes toys talk, we have ongoing relationships and arguments with them, just endless. We love to gossip together and we love to nickname everything and everyone!

    1. Super relatable. Gf and I have an entire ā€œcommunityā€ of stuffed animals that started with a couple Yoshis. They have names, likes and dislikes, some have professions like ā€œMicro Yoshā€ (green wooly Yoshi amiibo) who is a lawyer, or our adorable little chicken named Benry (Henry, specifically named from Kingdom Come) who is Captain of the Guard of our ā€œislandā€ (the bed) and a bread aficionado. All of this led by a small council and a tribal chief, but I think that’s enough unrequested lore lol.

    2. That was me and her! Back in 2023 when she used to be mine and I was hers. I’d give anything to have it all back. But when her mum found out about us she just… didn’t want us together anymore, or at least thats the reason she gave me for our breakup. But I loved her to death, she loved me too. I could say anything with her, no matter how dumb, or stupid or silly it was, without feeling like an idiot because she used to be goofy right back!

      Right now I’m building a business from scratch so I can go to her country (she lives in another country now) and marry her. I just hope she hasn’t given up on us yet, I know I haven’t, and I know I won’t. I will be devastated if I go there and find out she didn’t wait, even more so if I find out she lied, I don’t think I can ever find that same connection ever again and I also won’t trust like that again, every day is agonising. Every other girl just wants me because I look good, they don’t actually love me.

  14. So this is why she randomly goes ā€œ babe will you still love me if I was a worm?ā€šŸ˜…

    1. That’s when you follow up with “would you still love me if I was a bird, or would it just not work out?” That was my response. You’re welcome šŸ˜‰

  15. 1:50 “They talk s**t” I don’t know why that sounded soo funny in the formal voice! šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚

  16. I’m a big believer in “Doing nothing with your everything is something.” I.e literally sitting together with your partner or best friend or even pet– the silence is just as important as what you fill it with. In both instances it’s love.

    1. Not totally relevant, but one of my favorite quotes: ā€œPeople say nothing is impossible but I do nothing every day.ā€ – Winnie the Pooh

    2. this is so sweet. ā¤ my partner and i are long distance and often sit quietly on the phone just doing things separately, but still together. and we have little spontaneous conversations about silly things and then lapse again into silence. doing nothing alone feels like doing nothing alone, but doing nothing with someone i love feels comforting and like time well spent šŸ™‚

    3. Me too! I’m not a huge talker and prefer a mutual understanding of nonverbal cues. Having a ā€œquietā€ connection feels deeper and more intimate for me – a special experience that goes beyond the simplicity of words.

    4. As someone with a social disorder, silence is about all I can provide most of the time. It does not win people over.

    5. Start having your closest friends fill out character sheets from an rpg. ​@@thesuperfluousone2537

  17. I find the peak of silly talk to be between siblings. No expectations, no filter, just pure randomness and the freedom to be a child again since there is nothing to hide.

    1. Yeah, this is so truee… especially the inside jokes, and childish behaviour.
      Know each other too damn well, and have each others’ back .

    2. ah well see that the point of the video, im only child and have close friends of 15+ years and we are very silly, but me n my gf of 2 years are already on par with the level of silly, may you find a SO who you can be most silly with

    3. I have siblings, we never act this way.
      I do, however, have a very silly relationship with my wife and daughter.

  18. I am really honored to be able to have nonsense and highly intelligent conversations with my wife. I am truly beyond lucky.

Comments are closed.