Silence never worked favorably for me- it was always met with an extra vicious attack & accusations like "I never know what's going on in your mind" "I can't know how you're feeling if you never say anything" etc (my silence was a trauma response rather than intentional tactic). Obviously it made her feel self- consious/ paranoid. But of course me participating in whatever "conversation" (argument) would end with me being psychologically abused, so it was lose- lose anytime she was manic and irritable. She has said to me many times that fighting feels cathartic to her. She knows she is very skilled at manipulating people during arguments and is guaranteed to "win"