Hi Brian!

I would say that a caring person probably practices similar social cues. The difference being that they actually care.

Some people are happy to listen to others and see small talk as a way to connect. You do learn a lot about people by listening to how they are feeling, what is happening in their lives and what they enjoy.

I would suggest that consistency is key. Obviously, sometimes people are going to be busy, or have other things on their mind. But if someone frequently listens with interest and  encourages further conversation by asking relevant questions, I would suggest they genuinely care. No one is forced to interact to others. It’s relatively easy to refuse to participate in small talk or interact in a very limited way.

Retaining information is another way to show you care. Small talk might be quite a short conversation but if you remember details from previous conversations; events, names etc it shows interest. For example, “How was X’s party?”.

I would add that social interaction has many nuances depending upon the type and quality of relationship people share. Often, people are more comfortable sharing innermost thoughts with friends and family. Whereas it might be inappropriate sharing private thoughts with co-workers unless the relationship is particularly close or they share similar values.