Silence is a part of communication. For every sound that we produce, there is a comparable amount of silence that punctuates our words and sentences. We hesitate, pause, and leave space for others to speak. It’s apparent — we say a lot when we’re not saying anything at all. 

While the use of silence in speech is universal, the patterning of silence in speech differs across individual speakers and speech communities. Cultures vary in their attitudes and comfort for silences in conversation. It’s probably something you’ve never noticed or something you’ve always taken for granted; who’s counting the number of pauses in their conversations? Yet, the cross-cultural variations are widespread and measurable, with considerable differences based on how culture influences us.

In Western countries like the US, moments of silence often invite discomfort because silence may indicate or precipitate misunderstandings and disinterest. To avoid this awkwardness, Americans put a greater emphasis on verbal communication.
Does silence speak louder than words? — A cultural lens

Contrary to the idea of silence being an absence of speech or thought, various social and cultural functions underlie the use of silence as a part of speech in differing ways. 

Many communities use silence as a tool to navigate difficult social scenarios. A pioneering study on silence as a cultural phenomenon, published in the Southwestern Journal of Anthropology describes the importance of silence in the social life of Western Apache Native Americans, such as in emotional processing and grieving. 

These differences in silence across cultures continue over time. In a more recent study, researchers analyzed recorded video conversations between Japanese and German speakers and found that the Japanese used significantly more pauses on average than the Germans.

Many scholars of cross-cultural studies and communication science have suggested that such disparities exist because of different cultural values and how such values are communicated in an interpersonal setting. 

In Western countries like the US, moments of silence often invite discomfort because silence may indicate or precipitate misunderstandings and disinterest. To avoid this awkwardness, Americans put a greater emphasis on verbal communication. A conversation with another person is seen as a space to perform one’s individuality and uniqueness.

Conversely, in Japan, a conversation is more about understanding others — known as sassuru — and exploring what is being communicated through silence. Japan is more culturally collectivistic, meaning more emphasis is placed on upholding group harmony. Silence is often a social tool to “blend in with the group.” 

Silence may also be used to implicitly assign conversational roles. A fieldwork study showed that the Athabaskan Indigenous communities of Western North America use longer pauses to emphasize turn-taking between interlocutors, as opposed to interruptions between speakers, which is more common among the average American.

However, communication styles and values differ not only between cultures, but within cultures too. While there are dominant cultures and cultural conventions in place, many countries have cultural mosaics with substantial intra-cultural variation and subcultures. So, though studies back up broad generalizations, cultural variations differ regionally and over time, influencing communication.

What causes cultural differences in conversation? 

In North America, it might seem socially natural to express one’s opinion on a whim. However, in Japan, expressing opinions can invite confrontation and social friction. Silence is a way to avoid disrupting the social order. This is not to say that Japanese people don’t express disagreement; they simply use body language and silence — prolonged eye contact, grimacing, and squinting — rather than overt words to communicate dissatisfaction, disagreement, or disappointment. 

Are there any patterns that emerge across these examples? Anthropologist Edward Hall states that cultural differences can be observed through dominant communication styles. Hall identified distinct differences between high-context (HC) and low-context (LC) cultures in the use and tolerance of silence. HC cultures favour indirect communication and rely on shared understanding, while LC cultures emphasize directness and clarity when communicating. 

While this distinction can provide some rough context in processing cross-cultural interactions, it’s important to remember that these broad HC-LC categorizations also disregard nuance, and speech — or silence — conventions can differ across individuals, communities and situational contexts.

The practical sides of silence 

It’s also important to acknowledge in cases where speech is an act of power or social dominance. 

For example, English-as-second-language speakers may utilize more silences in their speech due to a lack of vocabulary knowledge, a need for increased processing time, and a fear of judgment or misrepresenting their thoughts in a foreign language. 

Much of the research reports North American interlocutors as being the conversationally dominant or those with the least use of silence. How much of that is because of research being conducted in settings in which the North American speaker group is most comfortable expressing themselves?

Spoken language is also not a luxury we all can afford. Many individuals have speech impediments that may hinder them from what is considered ‘normal’ speech. Silences and pauses in conversation may mean very different things to this community than most hearing-speaking folks. 

Attitudes towards silence and communicative styles differ and, consequently, contribute to cultural stereotyping. Speech and silence are sanctioned differently depending on the culture. The next time you’re having a conversation, try discerning how cultural conventions and unspoken rules dictate your communication. Who knows? Maybe you’ll learn something about yourself!