Sometimes talking to strangers can make us much more comfortable than talking to family or friends for a lifetime. The reason may be that a stranger sees us as we are, free from idealizations and illusions, not as he wants to believe that we are, and it is something too liberating to relate to and be able to express himself.
Canadian researcher John Helliwell says there is no situation that generates more gratification than talking to strangers because it increases happiness levels, talking to strangers makes us feel better about ourselves, seeing this action as a sign of humility and kindness.
- Since we were little we have heard the phrase “don’t talk to strangers.
- ” and that makes sense until we’re a certain age.
- This advice we’ve received primarily to avoid certain dangers.
- However.
- According to a study published in the Journal of the Mental Environment.
- Talking to a stranger produces a sense similar to well-being.
Another study published in the journal Psychological Science indicates that children as young as three can distinguish themselves if those who approach them are trustworthy or should stay away from them, and at seven years old they can do so as accurately as adults.
As we see, interacting with strangers has different psychological effects than talking to people in our social circle.
“Justice is impartial and only foreigners can be impartial. “George Bernard Shaw.
Sheen S. Levine, a professor at Singapore Management University, points out that what often gives companies their competitive advantage is not only the accumulation of knowledge, but the use of guarantees of good performance, that is, spontaneous communication between colleagues who do not know among themselves, in which they share fundamental knowledge without anyone waiting for anything in return.
For Elizabeth Dunn, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia, talking to strangers increases our subjective well-being and has a direct impact on our productivity. Talking to strangers and being heard helps strengthen our identity. It gives us the feeling that we can, bring something, that we are taken into account and valued.
“Everything will occur in greater quantity and quality, and more easily, when every man works in one trade, according to his natural gifts, and at the right time, without getting involved in anything else. -Plato-
Sometimes we may rather talk to a stranger because he sees us as we are, and not how he wants to believe we are. Talking to people with us who have a healthy personal relationship positively influences our mood, but to control anger and/or problems, talking to strangers seems to be more effective.
Most of us do two things when we’re in a bad mood. With those around us, we vent our anger because we know we can do it, and we also know where the line is; on the other hand, when we interact with a stranger on the street, we tend to be kinder and more polite.
According to a CBS News article, titled Talking to Strangers Can Increase Your Level of Happiness, Elizabeth Dunn, a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia, Canada, conducted an experiment to confirm this fact and discovered that when people interacted with strangers, they behaved much more pleasantly than with the people they trusted, helping them improve or increase their mood , in addition to feeling part of the community.
So talking to strangers acts like an emotional change. This helps us take enough emotional distance to regulate how we feel and look at the situation from a different perspective.
As we see, talking to strangers is beneficial to our psychological health, this not only provides us with social involvement and makes us feel better and more valuable, but it is also a good opportunity to develop our social skills, connect with others and feel part of it. community.
“Friends are these strange beings who ask us how we are going and expect to hear the answer. -Edd Cunningham-