SEtalk: Why You Should Talk to Strangers

Raise your hand if you talked to a stranger today. Not the person who made your coffee. I mean a real, actual conversation. Hmm, not many hands. Don't worry. Until last year, mine wasn't up either! Every morning, I took the same train to work. Forty minutes, headphones in, eyes on my phone. The same old man sat next to me every day. For two years, we never said a single word. Then one day, my headphones died! So I did something terrifying. I said... "Nice weather today, isn't it?" He smiled and said, "I've been waiting two years for you to say hello!" It turns out this isn't just my story. Researchers in Chicago asked train passengers to try an experiment. Some sat alone. Some talked to a stranger. Before the ride, most people expected talking to be awkward. But afterwards, the talkers enjoyed their journey much more! And the strangers? They enjoyed it too. So why don't we do it? We think other people don't want to talk. We think we'll say something stupid. But most of the time, we're simply wrong. People are much friendlier than we imagine. Today, that old man is my friend. His name is Walter, and he's eighty-one. He's teaching me to grow tomatoes on my balcony. And I taught him how to send emojis. Ha, he sends me far too many now. So here's my challenge for you this week. Talk to one stranger. Just one. Ask a question. Give a compliment. It might feel scary for ten seconds. But it could change your whole year! Thank you!