My favourite stories are the ones where minimal connections between a tapestry of strangers (or acquaintances/weak ties) come together to tell a story. These stories seem more and more plausible in our increasingly connected world. Despite this, we now live in a culture of disconnection: People find it hard to make friends, and suffer emotionally and physically from a lack of belonging. My research addresses this apparent contradiction by focusing at the micro level, examining how seemingly insignificant social interactions and everyday behaviours can influence and improve well-being. This line of research examines the following questions:
- When and how do people benefit from feeling connected to others?
- When and how do social interactions lead to feelings of connection?
- What personal and cultural factors promote/inhibit social interactions?
- What fears do people have about talking to others?
- How do fears vary across people (e.g., due to individual differences) and across types of conversations
- This includes my recent project on cross-generational conversations
- How do fears affect the success of a social interaction?
- Can interventions target fears to improve the success of social interactions?
Click to access each publication and each media article. If you would like to read a paper, but can’t access it, please email me and I’d be happy to send a copy for your personal use. Click here for more resources.
Publications
Sandstrom G.M.,* Boothby, E.J.*, & Cooney, G.* (2022). Talking to strangers: A week-long intervention reduces fear of rejection and increases conversational ability. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 102.
- Data and materials available publicly at: https://osf.io/b76gf/
Sandstrom, G.M., & Boothby, E.J. (2021). Why do people avoid talking to strangers? A mini meta-analysis of predicted fears and actual experiences talking to a stranger. Self and Identity, 20(1), 47-71.
- Data and materials available publicly at: https://osf.io/75z24/
Sandstrom, G.M., & Whillans, A.V. (2020). Why you miss those casual friends so much. Harvard Business Review.
Boothby, E.J., Cooney, G., Sandstrom, G.M., & Clark, M.S. (2018). The liking gap in conversations: Do people like us more than we think? Psychological Science, 29(11), 1742–1756.
- Data and materials available publicly at: https://osf.io/dw5fm/
Sandstrom, G.M., & Rawn, C.D. (2015). Embrace chattering students: They are building community and interest in your class. Teaching of Psychology, 42, 227-233.
Sandstrom, G.M., & Dunn, E.W. (2014). Social interactions and well-being: The surprising power of weak ties. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40, 910-922.
Sandstrom, G.M., & Dunn, E.W. (2014). Is efficiency overrated?: Minimal social interactions lead to belonging and positive affect. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 5, 436-441.
- Data and materials available publicly at: https://osf.io/nmxz7/
Selected Media Coverage
- Wall Street Journal. Jul 26, 2022. “Have Better Conversations With Friends—or Anyone“
- Discover. 28-Jun-2022. “Conversations With Strangers Are Often More Enjoyable Than We Expect“
- New York Times. Jun 12, 2022. “Why Strangers Are Good for Us“
- The Atlantic. Aug 4, 2021. “The Surprising Benefits of Talking to Strangers“
- Washington Post. Mar 25, 2021.”After a year of Covid life, we’ve run out of things to talk about. Try these conversation tips.“
- Toronto Star. Feb 20, 2021. “Just an acquaintance? What we’ve missed as the pandemic robs us of our ‘non-friends’”
- Wall Street Journal. Feb 16, 2021. “You should talk to strangers – Even during the pandemic”
- The Atlantic. Jan 27, 2021. “The pandemic has erased entire categories of friendship”
- CTV News. Dec 28, 2020. “Why we need ‘micro-friendships’ more than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic”
- CBC News. Dec 27, 2020. “Casual social contacts can help combat loneliness and improve well-being during pandemic, psychologists say”
- New Scientist. Aug 15, 2020. “Missed connections: The surprising ways little social interactions affect your health.”
- BBC: Worklife. Jul 3, 2020. “Why your ‘weak-tie’ friendships may mean more than you think“
- MEL magazine. Sept 11, 2019. “Why talking to strangers is the best thing you can do for your mental health“
- National Public Radio, Life Kit. Aug 19, 2019. “Accept the awkwardness: How to make friends (and keep the old ones)”
- The Sunday Times. Aug 18, 2019. “Weak ties: Why casual acquaintances might be the key to happiness”
- National Public Radio, Shots (Health News). Jul 26, 2019. “Want to feel happier today? Try talking to a stranger.”
- BBC News. Jun 12, 2019. “The surprising benefits of talking to strangers”
- NBC News, Better. Jun 5, 2019. “How to have better conversations with people you’ve just met, according to science“
- Wall Street Journal. May 11, 2019. “The surprising boost you get from strangers”
- Vice. May 7, 2019. “How small talk with almost-strangers profoundly affects your happiness“
- New York Times. May 6, 2019. “Why you need a network of casual, low-stakes friendships”
- Chicago Post-Tribune. Dec 6, 2018. “Despite your doubts about first impressions, strangers probably like you”
- New York Times. Sep 23, 2018. “Want to seem more likable? Try this”
- Time. Sep 17, 2018. “People like you more than you think, a new study suggests.”
- Forbes. Sept 2018, “People Like You More Than You Think, Study Finds”
- The Atlantic. Sept 2018, “How to Make Friends, According to Science”
- Washington Post. Jul 7, 2018. “How casual daily interactions protect your health”
- Quartz. Nov 21, 2017. “Nice weather, eh? The emotional benefits of small talk outweigh your fear of being awkward”
- The Today Show. Mar, 2017. “Small talk can provide a big boost in your mood”
- NBC News. Mar, 2017. “Master small talk: Why you need chit-chat in your life”
- The Atlantic. Oct, 2016. “Do people need small talk to be happy?”
- CBC Radio. Aug, 2015. “Study suggests idle chit chat in class could have benefits”
- CBC News. Aug, 2015.“Talking in class could have benefits, says new UBC research”
- Washington Post. Mar, 2015. “Treat your spouse like a stranger and other surprising research on how to be happy”
- Business Insider, UK. Mar, 2015. “Science says chatting with your barista will make you happier”
- Wall Street Journal. Nov, 2014. “Walk this way: Acting happy can make it so”
- The Sydney Morning Herald. August, 2014. “Why you should talk to strangers on your commute”
- Psychology Today. July, 2014. “Why Other People Are the Key to Our Happiness”
- New York Magazine. July, 2014. Why New Yorkers – and Everyone Else – Should Pursue Small Talk More
- Psychology Today. May, 2014. “Why We Need All the Acquaintances We Can Get”
- New York Times. Apr, 2014. “Hello, Stranger”
- Harvard Business Review. Oct, 2013. “Chatting with the Cashier Will Improve Your Mood”
Podcasts
- Stanford Psychology. Mar 10, 2022. “Talking to Strangers“
- American Psychological Association, Speaking of Psychology. Apr 14, 2021. “Why you should talk to strangers“
- Guardian, Science Weekly. Mar 9, 2021. “What are we missing out on by not talking to strangers?“
- BBC Radio 4, Word of Mouth. Aug 11, 2020. “Talking to Strangers“.
- BBC Radio 4, All in the Mind. Nov 12, 2019. “The need for possessions, predicting effective use of CBT, talking to strangers” (starts at 19min30sec).
- National Public Radio, Life Kit. Aug 19, 2019. “Accept the awkwardness: How to make friends (and keep the old ones)”
- Art of Manliness. May 2, 2019. “Why you should talk to strangers”
Blog posts
- June 13, 2022. “Talking to strangers“, for the Marmalade Trust
- May 19, 2021. “Why do people avoid talking to strangers?“
- June 11, 2019. “Small talk doesn’t need to be meaningless: The benefits of talking to strangers“, for the Campaign to End Loneliness
- June 11, 2019. “Nervous about talking to strangers? It’s not as hard as you think, and you’re probably already better at it than you know!“, for the Campaign to End Loneliness
Resources
- Talking to strangers
- Missions we used in our scavenger hunt game: Scavenger hunt missions
Gillian M. Sandstrom 