3 min read
Is talking to strangers weird? Science says it's good for you
"Don't talk to strangers" was probably the first safety rule anyone ever taught you. Solid advice when you're six. As a grown-up, it might be costing you more than you'd guess.
Psychologists have actually tested what happens when people talk to strangers. Four of the excuses we all use didn't survive.
Myth 1: "They don't want to talk to me"
In 2014, Nicholas Epley and Juliana Schroeder sent Chicago commuters off on their trains with one of three instructions: talk to a stranger, keep to yourself, or just do whatever you normally do.
Almost everyone predicted that chatting to a stranger would make for the worst ride. It made for the best one. The people they approached were happy to talk, and the rejection everyone was scared of barely happened.
Myth 2: "I came across badly"
You finish a chat with someone new and immediately replay every awkward pause. Erica Boothby and her colleagues found in 2018 that this is mostly in your head. People kept underestimating how much the other person liked them. It's got a name now: the liking gap.
So that stranger probably liked you more than you think. They were busy cringing about their own awkward pause.
Myth 3: "Keep it light"
Small talk feels safe, so we hide in it. In a 2022 study by Michael Kardas, Amit Kumar and Nicholas Epley, strangers were given deep, personal questions to talk about. They enjoyed it more than they'd expected and came away feeling more connected.
We assume a big question will be awkward. Half the time the other person was hoping somebody would ask one.
Myth 4: "Only close friends really matter"
Close friends matter a lot, obviously. But Gillian Sandstrom and Elizabeth Dunn found that on days when people talked more with "weak ties" (acquaintances, people they barely knew) they were happier too.
Back in 1973, sociologist Mark Granovetter pointed out that weak ties are also how new ideas and opportunities find their way to you. Your best friend knows what you know. A stranger doesn't.
Why Omegle is talking to strangers on easy mode
In real life, chatting up a stranger takes guts. On Omegle most of the scary parts are gone. The stranger came to talk too, so you're not interrupting anyone's commute. There's no friend request afterwards, no awkward "see you around".
And skipping is normal. Esc isn't rude. It's the whole format.
Plus you end up talking to people from places, and lives, you'd never bump into at home.
Be curious, stay careful
The good stuff comes from the conversation, not from swapping details. Keep your name, school, address and socials to yourself. Assume whatever you show could be recorded. Leave the second it feels off. Our safety tips cover the rest.
Don't know how to open? Steal a line from our Omegle icebreakers, then go meet someone.
