People who indulge in meaningful conversations are happier than those engaging in small talk.

Researchers Matthias R Mehl, Shannon E Holleran and C Shelby Clark at the University of Arizona, following Simine Vazire of Washington University in St. Louis, investigated the different kinds of conversation among people who are happy and those who are unhappy.

Participants were requested to wear an inconspicuous recording device for four days to observe the conversations they had with other people.

The results astonished researchers, which revealed that the type of conversations people had affected their level of happiness.

While cheerful people were more likely to indulge in meaningful talks, the unhappy ones were more likely to engage in small talks, results published in Psychological Science showed.

"Just as self-disclosure can instill a sense of intimacy in a relationship, deep conversations may instill a sense of meaning in interaction with partners", said Matthias Mehl, an assistant professor of Psychology at the University of Arizona.