'Nobody cares,' and other rules for better conversation

Not long ago, I was reminded of an old episode of "This American Life " — one I’ve returned to more than once since it originally aired in 2013. In it, Sarah Koenig, the episode’s producer, shares her mother's “seven rules of conversation." Her mother, Maria Matthiessen, admittedly broke her own rules on occasion and was generally forgiving with others, but she reminded her family of the rules on a regular basis.

Matthiessen didn't invent the list. She learned the rules from a French friend, which, in Louisiana, makes the list feel even more official.

The reasoning behind the rules of conversation, according to Matthiessen, is that, "Nobody cares" about these specific topics.

The topics aren’t what you might expect — not politics, religion or death. Instead, they’re the everyday thing