If you’re someone who enjoys talking a lot, you’ve probably been told off for being a ‘chatterbox’ at one point or another.

We’ve all heard the saying “silence is golden” – in a world that often feels dominated by loud voices, being able to listen and observe is often held up as the ultimate skill.

But according to new research, being a chatterbox could also offer some surprising benefits. The paper, published in the Personality And Social Psychology Bulletin, found that speaking more than your partner in a conversation makes you seem more likeable, despite the common belief that the opposite is true.

Why being a ‘chatterbox’ isn’t the bad thing it’s often made out to be