[quesera]

I think this is deceptive. Superficial interactions seem less anxious, but they are not necessarily representative of what's going on inside the minds of the participants.

Learning to be superficial in superficial situations is a good way to fake your way through social anxiety. It isn't necessarily rewarding in itself, but it does smooth over some otherwise awkward scenarios.

Maintaining the balance is critical, and an important aspect of social maturity.

(It's a waste of time, yes! But being comfortable with a little bit of social inefficiency is essential to casual interactions which often have beneficial repercussions.)