Benefits of Talking to Strangers

Leonard Santiago in Tips and Advices

Mar 26, 2022 • 2 min Read

While waiting in the bus terminal on my way home, a woman in front of me started a conversation. Like most people, I usually panic when a stranger reaches out and tries to make a conversation. Maybe that’s an ambivert characteristic.

The woman is from Pampanga. She narrated that she misses her children since her job is all about travelling. She also shared her personal life including her recent breakup with her husband of 10 years. The woman is struggling to move forward but is concerned about her children growing up without a father figure. I felt how broken she was and how much healing she needs.  After our long ride, we exchanged numbers. She caught her next ride while I received a thank you message from her.

When we were young, we are taught not to talk to strangers and partly that’s the reason why most of us are hesitant to talk to a total stranger. We are not aware that small conversations matter and provide benefits to our well-being. Casual interaction is described as a “basic human need” from the book “Consequential Strangers: The Power of People Who Don’t Seem to Matter … But Really Do.” 

Below are benefits that you can get when talking to a stranger:

It stimulates our brain. According to some research, our small chit-chat with strangers allows us to gain more information that is beyond the purview of our connections. Our small talk with strangers gives us opportunities to see perspectives and novel experiences.

Talking to a stranger gives us a sense of belongingness. Everyone loves to feel belongingness. A simple talk with a stranger anchor you to this world, it makes you feel being part of something valuable. You are connected and heard.

It’s also proven that casual interaction with strangers increases positive feelings more than depressing ones. Have you tried greeting a stranger in the morning with a beautiful smile or either way? Did it light up your mood? In this pandemic, talking to strangers is difficult for we see them as a threat to catch COVID. However, have you observed how your mood lifted after taking a zoom meeting or video call with a stranger you met online?

It increases the life span. Have you heard of the saying, “Loneliness kills faster?”  Casual interaction with people increases happy hormones and makes you a more optimistic individual. The happier we are the less radical stress in our body, thus we become healthier and live longer.

Improve the quality of our lives. Engaging in a small conversation with a stranger makes our day more valuable. It increases good memories and good bonds with people that seem not to matter to our lives but create a big impact.

When was the last time you talked with a stranger? What did you talk about? How did you feel about your conversation? What did you learn about it? We love to hear it in the comment section.