Can you imagine how soulless work would be if you couldn't talk about your family and friends? These are the things that make us people. We can't just put them in a box at 9am and take them back out at 5.
There are small talks and talks that elicit a response. Small talks about family which mostly draws wows and wahs are totally fine, but you want work to be centered around the work itself and not get drawn into lengthy discussion about politics. At least do it during breaks.
Work is not meant as a substitution of life, it can be incredibly fulfilling but it's still work.
What's more important to life than family and friends? Do you talk about them at length at work?
Just because something is of monumental importance to the society/world, doesn't mean you need to talk about it all the time, especially at work.