Hello. This is 6 Minute English and I’m Neil. |
Joining me for our discussion is Georgina. |
Hello! |
Now, Georgina, you’re a chatty, sociable kind of person, aren’t you? |
Well, yes, I think so. |
But would you go up to a stranger and strike up a conversation? |
That might be going too far – if you don’t know them, what are you going to start talking about? |
A good question. |
But maybe you should – because in this programme we’re looking at how talking to strangers might actually be good for you! |
But first, let me talk to you about today’s question. |
I’d like you to answer this. |
To make conversation we need words |
– so according to the Oxford English Dictionary, approximately how many words are in use in the English language? |
Is it… a) 171,146 b) 271,146 or c) 371,146? |
We use a lot of words in English, but not 371,000 – so I’ll go for a) 171,146. |
OK. Well, as always I will reveal the answer later in the programme. |
Now, let’s continue our conversation about having conversations with strangers! |
Many of us spend part of every day surrounded by strangers, |
whether on our commute to work, sitting in a park or cafe, or visiting the supermarket. |
But we rarely reach out and talk to them because we fear it would make us both feel uncomfortable – or awkward. |
And Gillian Sandstrom, social psychologist from Essex University in the UK, can explain why. |
Here she is speaking on BBC Radio 4’s All In The Mind programme…. |
We kind of underestimate, |
we have this negative voice in our head that’s telling us "I shouldn’t have said that, |
why did I do that? |
I said that story better last time". |
But the other person doesn’t know any of that and they’re probably… they might be anticipating that they won’t have a positive conversation and then they do. |
And they think, wow, |
that person was amazing. |
So we walk round with this fear that the other person isn’t going to be interested in talking to us. |
Fascinating stuff. |
So we have a negative voice in our head telling us about all the bad things that might happen. |
We basically underestimate ourselves. |
To underestimate means to think that something is smaller or less important than it really is. |
We worry that what we say won’t be interesting or important enough. |
Ah, but the other person doesn’t know that. |
They’re also anticipating – or guessing - the outcome. |
They’re thinking that if they have a conversation, it won’t go well. |
But of course, when strangers do talk to each other it normally goes well. |
Yes, it’s just fear that is stopping us. |
But if we get over that fear, and get chatting, |
people might actually like us – and we might make new friends. |
Another reason why you should pluck up the courage to talk to strangers is that it’s good for our health! |
"Pluck up the courage" – that’s a good phrase, Georgina, |
meaning force yourself to do something that you’re scared about and… |
research by the University of Chicago found we may often underestimate the positive impact of connecting with others for both our own and others’ wellbeing. |
And connecting here means starting or having a good relationship with someone. |
So the research found that, for example, having a conversation with a stranger on your way to work may leave you both feeling happier than you would think. |
Gillian Sandstrom also spoke about her research and the power of talking to strangers on the You and Yours programme. |
Listen out for the word "connected"… |
What we’ve shown in the research is that it’s really good for your mood. |
So people are in a better mood after they reach out and have a conversation, however minimal, |
and the other thing that the research has shown is that just makes people feel more connected to each other. |
There you go! |
Talking to strangers is good for our mood – and mood means the way we feel. |
It’s good for our mental health – and we might discover people actually like us! |
And even if we’re an introvert – a person who prefers to be alone rather than with other people - experiments have shown that talking to others can make us happier. |
The problem remains, Neil, that when speaking to someone new, what do you talk about? |
How about some interesting facts – like approximately how many words are in use in the English language? |
Which is what I asked you earlier. |
Is it... a) 171,146 b) 271,146 or c) 371,146? |
What did you say, Georgina? |
I said 171,146. Was I right? |
Spot on, Georgina. |
Well done! |
Yes, there are an estimated 171,146 words currently in use in the English language, according to the Oxford English Dictionary |
–plus many more obsolete words. |
I shall pick a few of them and make conversation with someone on the Tube later, |
but not before we recap some of the vocabulary we’ve explained. |
Yes – so we highlighted six words, |
starting with underestimate which is to think that something is smaller or less important than it really is. |
Anticipating means guessing or expecting a certain outcome. |
I anticipate this programme to be 6 minutes long! |
That’s a given! |
Next, we mentioned the phrase to pluck up the courage, meaning to force yourself to do something that you’re scared or nervous about. |
When you connect with someone, |
it means you start or have a good relationship with someone. |
I think we’ve connected on this programme, Neil! |
Absolutely, Georgina. |
And that’s put me in a good mood – mood means the way we feel. |
And finally, an introvert is a person who prefers to spend time on their own. |
Thanks, Georgina. |
Well, that’s our conversation over, |
but you can hear more from us on our website and on our app. |
Goodbye! |
Bye! |