Thought of the Day and Question of the Day: Hitchcock, Silence, and the Torture of Small Talk

October 4, 2025

Every day on Low Two Pair, I share a Thought of the Day and a Question of the Day. Today’s pair might make you squirm in your seat a little. Alfred Hitchcock once said, “Always make the audience suffer as much as possible.” And my Question of the Day: Which is more uncomfortable for you: awkward silence, or too much small talk?

If you’ve ever sat through a dinner party where someone spent 15 minutes telling you about their new patio pavers, you probably already know where this post is going. Let’s dig in.

Thought of the Day: “Always make the audience suffer as much as possible.” — Alfred Hitchcock

Hitchcock wasn’t just the master of suspense, he was the master of patience. He knew that the real terror isn’t in the scream but in the silence right before it. He could stretch out a moment, make you lean forward in your seat, and practically beg for the shoe to drop. That’s where the suffering comes in.

And maybe that’s not such a bad lesson for life outside of the movie theater. We live in a world that craves instant answers: the text must be replied to immediately, the show must be binge-watched in one sitting, the microwave ding can’t come fast enough. But Hitchcock reminds us that sometimes the pause, the space between, is where the real power sits.

I think about this a lot when I’m writing or even when I’m talking to my kids. Sometimes, it’s not the words that matter most, but the space I leave after them. If I jump in too quickly, the weight of the moment is gone. Hitchcock would have hated me as a dinner guest.

And let’s be honest: sometimes suffering makes the payoff sweeter. A little tension, a little discomfort, and then the relief. That’s true whether you’re watching Psycho, waiting on a job interview callback, or seeing if your five-year-old finally takes a bite of broccoli without a dramatic Oscar-worthy gag.

If today’s thought hooked you, you might enjoy this past reflection on what it really means to chase meaning over comfort.

Question of the Day: Which is more uncomfortable for you: awkward silence, or too much small talk?

Here’s where it gets personal. For me, it’s not even close: too much small talk feels like water torture.

Awkward silence? I can handle that. In fact, sometimes I even like it. It gives me a second to breathe, to think, to gather myself. But endless small talk? That’s like being slowly drained of my will to live. I don’t want to discuss the weather for the seventh time this week. I don’t want to compare notes on traffic. And if you start in on your lawn care rituals, I might actually gnaw my own arm off just to escape.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love connection. I thrive on real conversations. The kind where someone admits what’s actually on their mind. Like when my kid asked me if superheroes have to brush their teeth, or when a friend admitted they’re scared of turning into their parents. That’s honest, vulnerable, messy, that’s the good stuff.

Small talk, on the other hand, is like cheap fast food: it fills the time but leaves you emptier than before. It’s polite suffering, the Hitchcock kind without the eventual payoff.

I’d rather sit in silence and wait for something real to show up. Silence might be awkward, but it has potential. Small talk just circles the drain.

If you want to keep digging into these kinds of everyday discomforts, revisit the reflection on Hitchcock’s idea that terror lives in anticipation.

Your Turn

So, what about you? Would you rather endure an awkward silence, or smile through endless small talk? Drop your answer in the comments—I promise it’ll be more fun than your last weather conversation.

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