I've seen a lot on this subreddit every now and then about using silence. And about just refraining from speaking while still holding eye contact. I feel like I don't have the right context for this, though. I mean, this doesn't seem like the kind of thing you'd do three or four minutes into a set. I've only heard scattered bits and pieces about this.

Usually, I feel like I should try to keep the conversation going during a silence like that, but today I tried using silence with a friend of mine over videochat. It actually went much better than I expected. It felt like I had gained the upper hand somehow because she broke the silence first.

But I'm still a little fuzzy on this subject.

So, what is the purpose of using this kind of silence?