A study was carried out by Momondo, a hotel and travel search site, on the conversational habits of Swedes when they travel. The result showed that a majority resort to tricks to avoid conversations with unknown people.
According to Annika Svedbergchief pharmacist at Apotek Hjärtat, there are, however, many valuable health effects that can be learned from an exchange of conversations.
– A chat with strangers can affect the mood in everyday life in several ways, by, among other things, reducing feelings of loneliness, dampening both anxiety and worry and opening up new discussions or thoughts we never thought of before, says Annika Svedberg at Cision.
The Swedes’ trick – to avoid cold conversations with strangers
Many feel joy when strangers say hello
According to a Sifo survey conducted by Kantar Public, however, a majority, 63 percent, experience joy at a simple greeting or a smile from a stranger. But almost as many state that they rarely or never converse with people they do not know.
However, one in three men and almost as many women would like to change this and talk more with strangers. Among young men aged 18-29, almost half wish they talked more with strangers. The same category of young men feel that screen time steals their time from meeting other people, almost three out of four have responded. In total, 57 percent of everyone in the survey answered that this statement resonated with them.
The survey also showed that there is a concern about being perceived as disturbing and that some avoid talking to strangers for that reason, stated almost one in four people, 23 percent. Even more, 26 percent, avoid conversations with strangers because they simply don’t know what to talk about.
Karin Schulz is general secretary at Mind, a non-profit organization that works with mental health. She emphasizes the importance of human conversations and says that the need is now greater than ever.
– Every call counts – small simple gestures can make a big difference to a stranger’s well-being.