Here is the perfect excuse for you to use the next time your boss gives you a hard time for making small talk with co-workers instead of finishing that budget analysis ...

A recent study, led by Dr. Oscar Ybarra, found that chatting with others help us to store and sort information. In effect, according to Dr. Ybarra, these little conversations actually make us smarter.

In the study, Dr. Ybarra and a team of researchers had a group of college students discuss social issues before taking a test to measure mental acuity. They found that these students scored much better than students who were not told to speak to each other before the test.

So, as I said before, you now have the ultimate excuse for chatting up your co-workers. If your boss gives you a hard time, just tell him or her that you're busy making yourself smarter!!