I have a confession to make. I enjoy talking to people I don't know. I like learning about them and hearing their stories. I'm sure it explains why I started this podcast nearly six years ago.
Yet I know a lot of people who avoid talking to strangers. And if, for any reason, they have to, they dread it. But these feelings of dread work against us. Study after study shows that when we talk to strangers, we nearly always feel good afterwards.
And in a time where people feel more isolated and lonely than ever, the good feeling that comes from talking to strangers may be just the thing we need to bring us closer together.
That's why I reached out to Joe Keohane to talk to him about his incredibly entertaining and enlightening book, The Power of Strangers: The Benefits of Connecting in a Suspicious World. He explains how we got to be so suspicious of strangers and what it's cost us. And for anyone who avoids talking to strangers because they don't know what to say, he's got you covered. Joe shares things he's learned from workshops he attended while writing the book.
Episode Links
Georgie Nightingall and Trigger Conversations
Gillian Sandstrom
Nicholas Epley
Juliana Schroeder
The Lesser Minds Problem
Michael Tomasello
Douglas Fry
Stranger Danger
Stanley Milgram and Stanford Prison Experiment led by Philip Zimbardo
Oscar Ibarra
Theodore Zeldin and The Feast of Strangers
Braver Angels
The Ezra Klein Show
The Team
Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here.
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