A study was done in Chicago where some commuters on the subway were asked to engage in conversation with strangers, while others were asked to sit silently and keep to themselves. Once these commuters reached their destination they were asked to participate in a survey. The results surprise the participants and revealed that those who engaged in conversation had the most enjoyable experience and those that remained solitary had the least enjoyable experience. Interesting.
A separate group of people who did not participate in the experiment where asked to predict how they would feel in each situation and they surprisingly reported they thought the solitary experience would be better and the number one reason was they, wrongly suspected that strangers would not want to talk with them.
We are social creatures and studies have shown that we enjoy engaging in casual conversation with each other. I am not saying that all people feel this way all the time or that one way is better than the other. All I am saying is I find it interesting. I have done a multitude of similar studies throughout my life time and my findings have been similar. I have a most enjoyable experience when I engage with strangers. I'll admit not 100% of the time because I have encountered a stranger or two who seemed to perceive me talking to them as an intrusion, but I don't let that bother me. I like my friendly self and I enjoy connecting with people.
My feelings are simple and they make me happy. If we are going to be spending time together on an elevator, in a restaurant, in a waiting room, on a train, while you're providing a service to me or whatever the circumstance is, we might as well enjoy the NOW that we get to share together. So, why not be friends even if only for NOW.
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