Many people probably recognize the second part of that proverb -- "Silence is Golden" –– as an oft-quoted adage to dictate the importance of quiet in our busy, noisy lives. The full version, as written above, originates in English thanks to Thomas Carlyle, who translated it from part of a larger German work in 1831. The translated passage begins, "Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves together." 

If we stopped to think about this, in a moment of peace and quiet, we might recognize the truth in this idea. Silence gives us the chance to pull together information or speech to which we have just been exposed but which perhaps we need more time to process. To think about what you want to say before speaking is common advice, especially to avoid realizing a different idiom, that of "I spoke too soon."

Are English speakers especially uncomfortable with silence?

Recent research has shown that English speakers in particular are more likely to be uncomfortable with silences, even brief ones, than speakers of other languages. Several studies show that culture plays a large role in determining how we use and respond to silence, be it in the workplace, business negotiations, or in casual conversation.  

The Benefits of a Pause

A 2017 BBC article on the topic of silences describes one study showing that people in Anglophone cultures became uncomfortable with silence when it lasted for more than four seconds. In contrast, another study demonstrated that Japanese people were content to allow silences of over eight seconds, more than double that of Americans, in an equivalent business meeting setting. The BBC article also references Finnish culture as placing a high value on the act and art of listening, more than English-speakers generally do. (Historically, the Finns are known for being a comparatively quiet people who take spoken language seriously and do not overuse it; there is less verbal commotion on public transportation, for example, than in America.)

Researchers and communications experts have hypothesized a reason for the greater difficulty in American society in tolerating long-lasting pauses: dating back to colonial times, America became a place where many cultures and people intersected and influenced the growth of the nation. The resulting diverse culture leaves potentially less room for silence than in a more homogeneous culture, according to a communications professor quoted in the BBC article, because the most immediate impulse for understanding different people is to try to communicate with words. However, we would do well to learn from the power of even a few tactical seconds of pause in order to establish our own confidence, understanding, and command of whatever speech surrounds the silence.