+1 for addressing a fundamentally cultural side of this problem. This will always be an issue for as long as OP is in the country. Finding a standard answer will help a lot! — Ruadhan2300 1 min ago

Hi Jaggy and welcome to interpersonal SE! As AsheraH pointed out your question isn't really answerable from an interpersonal point of view as it's written now. Perhaps you can give an example of how a conversation typically goes, most specifically right before it ends and you're out of things to say. Maybe your way of responding to the other party is preventing the conversation to elaborate on the current topic, or maybe you both just don't like talking longer. — Imus 15 secs ago

@AaronF That's an overly simplistic view. In reality, societies do have behavioural expectations and if you ignore them completely you are likely to alienate people which for most people will make them feel less comfortable rather than more. A better approach is to find a balance that allows you to step outside your comfort zone to an extent, in order to foster relationships, whilst not overstepping your boundaries. Where you strike that balance is an individual choice but I think it's bad advice to tell people that they should not care what others think of them at all. — JBentley 2 mins ago

@AaronF Yes, I agree and that's basically the point I was making. Hence why answers like this one and those of Rory / Jesse are good because they give some ground whilst holding back on all the uncomfortable details. Those answers just strike the balance differently which is fine. — JBentley 40 secs ago

@JBentley there's a difference between behaving according to society's expectations and caring what other people think (and by "other people" I mean people you don't know - not a family member or partner, obviously). But yes, I understand what you're saying, and you're right that it's not simple and there are nuances. I would care what my boss thinks about my professional performance, for example, but wouldn't spare a second thought for my boss's views on who I choose to date. The advice of "don't care" was given by my grandmother to a younger, worrysome me, many many years ago, and it helped. — Aaron F 3 mins ago

"Sit down, cousin, and listen to the sad story of my life. Actually, you may want to get some tea first, because my story is as long as it is sad. Ready now? OK, if I go to my mom's house, we would scream and fight about dishes..." — Headcrab 29 secs ago