Talking to a random fellow traveler spices up a trip… but why is it so hard to get started?
Most often, the conversation relieves the situation and brings pleasure to both us and the interlocutor. But even knowing this, we do not dare to say the first word. This is due to an effect known as “pluralistic ignorance”: it seems to us that the behavior of other people is dictated by unwritten norms, and if we violate them, we will be rejected. Psychologists at the University of Chicago (USA) conducted an experiment: they tried to start a conversation with neighbors in transport or in line*. In most cases, the reaction of the interlocutors was friendly, although the participants assumed that 50% of the attempts would end in failure. A good confirmation that the barriers around us are created by ourselves.
*Journal of Experimental Psychology. General, online publication July 14, 2014.
See also:
- Be the best in communication
- Dossier: Master the art of communication