As most college students know, it's important in today's society to be busy. In the competitive environment of a university, constant physical, mental and social stimulus almost feels like a necessity. Because of this, we start to feel uncomfortable whenever we lose that stimulus, so silence almost feels intolerable. Contrary to popular belief, silence does have a place in society, both as a creative tool and as a part of everyday life.

Recently, I had the opportunity to catch up on a bunch of movies, and I was surprised by how jam-packed some of them seemed to be. Every scene had a purpose and moved the story along either through tense dialogue or tons of action. And while I did enjoy most of these films, only a select few, "La La Land" and "Moonlight," actually had me caring about the characters themselves and for good reason--both of these movies contained quiet, calm moments that pulled the movie even further into the realm of reality.

I won't name the scenes specifically for the sake of spoilers, but each scene felt powerful despite not doing anything to advance the plot. While many facets of American media see silent scenes as wastes of time (understandably so since movies have such limited time constraints), but depending on the goals of the film, silence can speak far louder than any words.

This negative mindset toward silence in popular media has started to translate over to reality for some individuals; silence tends to be perceived as awkward among young people, while others see it as giving someone "the cold shoulder." I've only recently been improving my social skills due to the freedom of college, but back when I wasn't as sociable, I relied on TV shows and movies to figure out what's acceptable and what isn't.

As a result, I had this skewed belief that to maintain friendships you had to talk with them as much as possible to keep them interested and that not talking meant you've run out of things to talk about and that you're boring. It wasn't until I started actually hanging out with people that I realized that it's okay to have those quiet moments and just enjoy each other's company. Despite what I believed, silence isn't always rude or hateful; it can be a sign that you're comfortable in the presence of others.

Looking back at my past self, I understand just how clingy and nervous I must have seemed to some people. I'm not entirely sure if socially adjusted people share this unhealthy perception of silence, but those who think the same way that I used to need to understand that being quiet doesn't necessarily mean you're uninteresting or even shy. If the people you're trying to impress already consider you their friend, then they already like you despite your quirks.