Is it worth striking up a conversation with the stranger in the checkout line? What’s on the other side of that silence, and how do we bridge it?

Journalist Joe Keohane is out with a new book, The Power of Strangers: The Benefits of Connecting in a Suspicious World, which explores the lost art of connecting with unfamiliar people. Ciaran O'Connor talks with Joe about why and how we should talk to strangers—starting with your local barista—and what these experiences can do to improve our daily lives and our politics.

Twitter: @braverangels, @JoeKeohane, @ciaranjoconnor