Culture
The Case for Talking to Strangers
It’s not that terrifying, and it’s actually good for you, argues the author of the new book, When Strangers Meet.
Kio Stark talks to strangers. Riding in a taxi through New York, she learns that her cab driver grew up in the row of towers they pass on the opposite side of the river. When the cashier at a bagel shop tells Stark “I’m fine,” she pushes back against the platitude: “If you weren’t fine, would you have told me that?” Stark asks.
For Stark, it’s habit; it’s the way she is. She grew up in a smaller town, in a family where striking up a conversation with the unknown person in line at the grocery store was just what was done. But Stark soon realized that attitude was by no means the norm. Friends groaned that Stark’s tendency to stop and chat slowed their path through the city. Sometimes, her “good mornings” were met with crossed arms.