Should Adults Ignore ‘Stranger Danger’ And Talk To More People?

I nearly took a page from the Washington Post strategy book and went with a misleading headline about how social interaction is bad… I mean that is what WaPo would do… check out what we are talking about here, with this ‘plant-based diet’ beat down.

Anyways, talking to strangers can actually have some surprising benefits according to this article from The Atlantic.

The pandemic has made it hard enough to connect with and talk to the people we know and love, so needless to say, talking to strangers probably hasn’t been a priority over the past two years.

But maybe it should be.

The article cites a few studies where participants were asked to spark conversations with their barista while getting coffee, or just a stranger on mass transit. In both studies, participants reported improved mood as a result.

“You can’t shut them up,” psychologist Gillian Sandstrom said. “By the end they don’t want to stop talking. It’s fascinating. I love it.”

Interesting… I am going to assume the mass transit study didn’t take place on the New York City subway though.

Sandstrom said that it doesn’t matter where the conversation takes place… and that putting your ego in check may help make the stories even better! Sometimes they would take her to unexpected places.

“I don’t know how the conversation got there, but she taught me that humans can ride ostriches,” she added. “I was sold. That was just a delightful conversation. I wanted to do it again.”

Good luck starting a conversation with a stranger in NewYork… You’ll have better luck trying to convince a vegan that plant-based IS NOT the best diet for good cardiovascular health.