Too much analysis

from JoeUser Forums
Two psychiatrists were walking down a hall.

One turned to the other and said, "Hello."

The other one thought, "I wonder what he meant by that."
entertainment
2,095 views 1 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
Well, the first psychiatrist was obviously offering the daily greeting that he is accustomed to giving all of his colleagues. This constitutes a conversational transaction worth 1 point. The proper response of the other psychiatrist, saying hello back, would have left both feeling much more at ease, as the conversation would then be an even, 1-1 trade. However, if he had responded with a 'Hello, how are you?' it could have led to a much higher worth of conversation, thus leaving the first psychiatrist, who was only looking for 1 point, feeling ill at ease.