Far more important than the actual solution of a problem that might turn up in the course of a conversation is perhaps the degree to which participants in a conversation are able to interact in the attempt at its solution, which allows the participants to experience and satisfy a desire to achieve a bond of solidarity so much so that frequently problem solving activities will be artificially created. Prolonged silence is functionally equivalent to the rejection of a proposition. Silence has a higher functional load in Japanese than in the western languages.