Two sides to hello: privacy and pain

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.

Comments

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. That

Flaws in the Glass, a self-portrait by Patrick White: book review

The manuscript, Flaws in the Glass (1981), is Patrick Victor Martindale White’s autobiography. White, born in 1912 in England, migrated to Sydney, Australia, when he was six months old. For three years, at the age of 20, he studied French and German literature at King’s College at the University of Cambridge in England. Throughout his life, he published 12 novels. In 1957 he won the inaugural Miles Franklin Literary Award for Voss, published in 1956. In 1961, Riders in the Chariot became a best-seller, winning the Miles Franklin Literary Award. In 1973, he was the first Australian author to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Eye of the Storm, despite many critics describing his works as ‘un-Australian’ and himself as ‘Australia’s most unreadable novelist.’ In 1979, The Twyborn Affair was short-listed for the Booker Prize, but he withdrew it from the competition to give younger writers the opportunity to win the award. His autobiography, Flaws in the Glass

Sister cities discussed: Canberra and Islamabad

Two months ago, in March 2015, Australia and Pakistan agreed to explore ways to deepen ties. The relationship between Australia and Pakistan has been strong for decades, and the two countries continue to keep dialogues open. The annual bilateral discussions were held in Australia in March to continue engagements on a wide range of matters of mutual interest. The Pakistan delegation discussed points of interest will include sports, agriculture, economic growth, trade, border protection, business, and education. The possible twinning of the cities of Canberra, the capital of Australia, and Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, were also on the agenda (i.e. called twin towns or sister cities). Sister City relationships are twinning arrangements that build friendships as well as government, business, culture, and community linkages. Canberra currently has international Sister City relationships with Beijing in China and Nara in Japan. One example of existing

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog