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By interacting with strangers, commuters will have a better commute. One advantage is that they can gain confidence in talking to strangers. For example, one morning my brother was having a bad day. He woke up feeling self-conscious about his appearance. The woman next to him noticed his dismay and engaged in a conversation with him. Normally, my brother would just ignore other people on the train, but this time he listened. The woman ended up lifting his spirits by complimenting him on his outfit. That day, he went to school and delivered a brilliant class presentation. Had he kept to himself on the train, my brother would probably have still felt worried and self-conscious. Therefore, talking to strangers is more beneficial than ignoring them.
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In addition, interacting with other commuters benefits us by improving our social skills. Some people have anxiety issues that prevent us from effectively communicating with others. Talking to strangers helps them to practice communicating and get out of their comfort zones. For example, I avoided talking to classmates in high school. However, once I started opening myself up to strangers and finding our common interests, I grew more comfortable interacting with others. It made me more proactive in opening up about personal topics I don’t normally discuss, and more comfortable speaking in public. Interacting with strangers can improve our confidence and help us reach our social goals. Therefore, conversing with those around us yield benefits to our social development.
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Finally, in reference to the social experiment performed by Nicholas Epley and Juliana Schroeder, talking to strangers yielded “conversations [that] were consistently pleasant.” For instance, one couple in graduate school noticed when the boyfriend, Benjamin, was forced to speak to a stranger, his previous bad mood was lifted. However, when Benjamin spoke with his girlfriend, Liz, he unleashed his full grumpy mood onto her. This left both of them in a bad mood. Talking to a stranger helps us regulate our emotions in order to give a good first impression as opposed to neglecting the impression you give someone with whom you are already familiar. Therefore, I believe that interacting with others could make other people’s day better.
