SIMPLE SOCIAL INTERACTIONS WITH STRANGERS can make you happier. That’s the conclusion of a recent study examining 60,000 people. Today, we focus on small talk and big smiles: The surprising secret to a brighter day. Small talk and big smiles.
I am an introvert but often enjoy chatting with shopkeepers, fellow coffee shop line dwellers, and my hospital’s ancillary staff.
I inherited this propensity to reach out to my father, who seemed to know virtually everyone. If you are from Connecticut (USA), you probably had some interaction with him.
I never fully understood the value of these small day-to-day interactions.
After examining conversations and momentary interactions, researchers discovered this:
Even just saying “Good morning” or “Thank you,” and sometimes having a short chat, can really boost your happiness.
Conversations with strangers, including simple greetings, predict greater life satisfaction.
Quotes on Social Interactions
First, four quotes on social interactions:
- “We are wired to care for the other and be generous to one another. We shrivel when we are not able to interact. I mean that is part of the reason why solitary confinement is such a horrendous punishment. We depend on each other for us to be fully who we are. (…) The concept of Ubuntu says: A person is a person through other persons.” ― Desmond Tutu, The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World
- “As far as this business of solitary confinement goes, the most important thing for survival is communication with someone, even if it’s only a wave or a wink, a tap on the wall, or to have a guy put his thumb up. It makes all the difference.” — John McCain.
- “Man should never work for the machine, the machine should work for the man.” ― Amit Kalantri, Wealth of Words.
- “All human interactions are opportunities either to learn or to teach.” — M. Scott Peck, psychiatrist.
New Social Interaction Study
For the research investigation, scientists looked at information from 60,000 people. They focused on two groups and asked them about their daily conversations with strangers.
Here are the results:
Across two sample populations in Turkey, researchers found that conversing with strangers (as well as simply greeting and thanking folks) predicted greater life satisfaction.
Study Implications – Small Talk, Big Smiles
Dr. Robert Waldinger, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, explained to Men’s Journal that talking with strangers gives us little hits of energy and well-being by helping us feel connected to the world like we belong.
He adds, “So a good chat with an Uber driver or the barista in the coffee shop helps you feel like you’re a part of things going on.”
The briefest, most seemingly inconsequential interactions provided subjects with a sense of involvement and conviviality.
What’s New in the Study
According to the authors, historical studies on brief social interactions focused mostly on Westerners.
Are the findings universally applicable? Do they only apply to WEIRD societies?
You hear me correctly. WEIRD stands for Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) societies.
The new study suggests that saying hello to people you don’t know can increase your life satisfaction.
Final Thoughts – Small Talk and Big Smiles
I always looked on wonderfully as my father chatted with virtually anyone he came into contact with.
I have recently enjoyed starting conversations with strangers in clinics, coffee shops, and the grocery store. Sometimes, it is a clerk; at other times, it may be the person in line behind me at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The new study results, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, discovered that while many of us are reluctant to engage in more meaningful conversations, we are typically much happier once we have the dialog.
Today, I think of my late father, Jack. And I smile.
Thank you for reading “Small Talk and Big Smiles.”
