If
you meet a stranger, do you say hello? Should you say hello? Well, yes and no.
Maybe. It depends.
BBC’s
The Quora Column (June 15, 2014) advises against talking to strangers when
travelling on the London Underground rail system. The Quora readers wrote,
“Don’t talk to a stranger, except about how bad something is or about the
weather” and “Avoiding eye contact is the only way to preserve your sense of
personal space.”
But
CNN’s Dr Sanjay Gupta thinks just saying hello can extend your life (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NpEVheoTMc). Gupta says
studies on “being lonely” – chronic loneliness – is on par with the act of
smoking in terms of risks to people’s health. “Loneliness can register as
physical pain,” he says, and maintains the act of saying hello [to break the
loneliness cycle] can be “empowering” and may bring health benefits.
This
is not new – there have been studies on pessimism and optimism in the past,
which state that optimists are more likely to say hello to strangers to connect
with them, even if exceptionally briefly and temporarily, and even if they get
no response in return. Often it takes the stranger by surprise, although they
may smile in response – not broadly, but slightly or even “internally” or after
the event.
Pessimists
– those who are negatively inclined (sometimes called negativists) – are said
to suffer more depression and other illnesses than optimists (or positivists).
Optimists are said to be more positive about life – it doesn’t need to be
everyday, but overall in their dealings with others. The science is still not
definitive, but it seems that being optimistic enables people to cope better
with stressful situations – by being more hopeful that eventually “things will
be better.” Hence, optimists are said to be overall happier than pessimists,
more productive in life, and more inclined to setting goals and dreams – and in
pursuing them. The Mayo Clinic in the United States reported on a correlation
between hopeful thinking and reduced stress. Hopeful people tend to have lower
incidences of heart disease and depression.
If
saying hello makes the giver feel good, maybe the receiver will feel good too,
and thereby gain health benefits as well, if not in a return hello, then in
thinking that someone has taken a nano-second out of their day to be positive
and approachable. And maybe positivism will catch on – for good health.
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