Despite the fact that so many people profess to dislike making small talk, it turns out that talking to strangers and acquaintances can actually strengthen our mental health and enrich our lives. What do we gain from meeting new people? What have we been missing out on this past year as COVID-19 has restricted these social interactions? And how can we become better at talking to strangers? We discuss these questions with Gillian Sandstrom, PhD, a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Essex who studies what she calls “minimal social interactions,” and Jon Levy, a consultant, writer and speaker who founded “the Influencers Dinner,” a regular gathering that brings together strangers who are leaders in their fields.
Links
Gillian Sandstrom, PhD
Jon Levy
How to cope with news overload, with Markus Brauer, PhD, and Don Grant, PhD
Living a happy single life, with Geoff MacDonald, PhD
Why humans and other primates care so much about fairness, with Sarah Brosnan, PhD
Why you should apologize even when it’s hard to, with Karina Schumann, PhD
Understanding medical marijuana, CBD and more, with Ziva Cooper, PhD
Relationship advice from a couple psychologist, with Anthony Chambers, PhD
Why we procrastinate and what to do about it, with Fuschia Sirois, PhD
How to stop mass shootings, with Jillian Peterson, PhD
The psychology of political messaging, with Drew Westen, PhD
Reading minds using brain scans, with Kenneth Norman, PhD
How the need to belong drives human behavior, with Geoffrey L. Cohen, PhD
How to spend your time more wisely, with Cassie Holmes, PhD
How job loss and economic stress affect workers and their families, with Anna Gassman-Pines, PhD
Understanding the teenage brain, with Eva Telzer, PhD
Can you be addicted to food? With Ashley Gearhardt, PhD
Encore - How to overcome feeling like an imposter, with Lisa Orbé-Austin, PhD, and Kevin Cokley, PhD
Encore - Tasty words, colorful sounds - How people with synesthesia experience the world, with Julia Simner, PhD
What is borderline personality disorder? With Carla Sharp, PhD
The truth about why kids lie, with Victoria Talwar, PhD
Can we unlearn implicit biases? With Mahzarin Banaji, PhD
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