The Surprising Benefits of Talking to Strangers

Talking to strangers has many benefits, including:

Reducing loneliness

Improving well-being

Assisting learning

Increasing creativity

Heightening sense of belonging

We are generally anxious about strangers, but focusing on curiosity can reduce anxiety in social interactions. The experience of talking with others and hearing a stranger's voice makes us realize they have a rich inner life of thoughts, feelings, emotions, and experiences, just like us.