I think that Smith College, particularly in the houses, nonverbal communication takes on a unique role. American culture is already very high context: we tend to be pretty explicit in our communication. In the close quarters of a residential college, this dynamic is amplified and it can be difficult to find moments of silence, let alone solitude.

This is especially true at the start of the Fall semester. When the residents are still settling in, there is always a pressure to sustain conversation when you find yourself sharing a common space. Silence or long pauses at this point in the year – perhaps when you don’t know your housemates as well – feels awkward and uncomfortable. As the semester progresses, this becomes much less true. It’s much easier to share a common space without this pressure to socialize. Once the relationships in the house are more concrete, silence has much less severe social consequences.