Is it Normal to speak to strangers on public transportation? In the article,” Hello Stranger” by Elizabeth W Dunn and Michael Norton is about communicating with strangers while on a bus or train. People believe that interacting with strangers on public transportation is awkward while others think it can make a difference in your day. “Hello, Stranger” by Elizabeth W Dunn and Michael Norton, I agree with the authors statements about social interaction in terms of rules, experimentation and improvement.
To begin with, I agree with the authors statements about social interaction on public transportation in terms of rules. Making eye contact with strangers on a bus or train is considered “breaking the rules”. They believe it is better to sit down and just keep to yourself. In fact the “rules” are wrong, as seen in “Hello Stranger” people were asked to follow the standard norm. The essay stated that , ” By the end of the train ride, commuters who talked to a stranger reported having a more positive experience than those who sat in solitude”. This proves that the rules no eye contact with strangers is wrong.
In addition, I agree with the authors statement about social interactions in terms of experimentation. People were asked how would they feel if they spoke to a stranger, they feel it’s better if they sat alone. The reason why they feel this way is because it would be difficult for them to spark a conversation. If we don’t communicate we miss out on an o meeting people that have in common with us. In the essay, ” Hello, Stranger,” by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton it states that ” According to a 200504 study. When the middle aged woman starts playing Candy Crush Saga after she sits down next to the hipster scrolling through his iTunes library, they both miss out on an opportunity for connection”. Communicating had several effects than other daily activities and if we all communicate we are making society more comfortable to live in .
Lastly, I also agree with the authors statement about social interaction in terms of improvement. Interacting with others may brighten our day. When interacting with strangers we show our pleasant side. As seen in the essay “Hello, Stranger, Liz’s boyfriend would erase his bad mood when interacting with a stranger. Reaching out to students may also improve their day as seen in the essay ” the benefits of connecting with others turns out to be contagious.” As human beings we should reach out to others rather than just ignoring each other as if we don’t exist.
Many people believe it is awkward to spark a conversation with strangers on public transportation. The social norm is just keeping to yourself and people think that’s the best thing to do. In the essay, ” Hello Stranger” by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton it is better to interact with others in terms of rules, experimentation and improvement. It is better toto interact with strangers than to stay to ourselves because we also lose out on connecting with people that are similar to us and might have the same interest as us. If communicating on public transportation becomes contagious society will become more comfortable to live in.
