Okay, so this post is technically cheating, because this happened to my mom and not to me. Don't stop reading! She described it to me in detail, and the encounter resonated with many that I've had, which is why I'm choosing to write about it. (Jenny, you can't even write one post without screwing over your own rules?, you may ask, disgusted. Unfortunately, it's true, but aren't rules really made so they can be broken at the right moment?)
So my mom is at the grocery store, standing by the Pigs Fly bread. Cinnamon raisin or whole wheat?, she muses to herself. From behind her, an old man shuffling by slows down and says, in that loud way that only nice old people can do well,
"I just love that cinnamon raisin Pigs Fly bread. It's so delicious."
My mom turns, smiling, and says that she agrees, that it really is great bread. But the old man isn't done.
"What's really great," he continues, "is that I can put anything on it. I can put a little bit of peanut butter on it, or a little bit of butter, or some jam. It really just goes well with everything!" And, shaking his head in wonder at the stunning versatility of the cinnamon raisin bread, the man shuffles away, smiling slightly to himself. My mom, charmed by his sincerity, picks up a loaf of the cinnamon raisin bread and goes to check out.
So, what's the point?, you ask, impatient to be done reading. (If you've managed to stay focused for this long, you have my sincere gratitude--the average span of focus is seven seconds,so you've really been pushing yourself!) Their interaction may not have accomplished anything (other than making up my mom's mind to buy the cinnamon raisin bread), but both my mom and Mr. Raisin Bread benefited from the interaction. I could go into the psychological benefits of interacting with other people, even in small ways, but I don't want to push my luck with your clearly thinning patience here.
No, they both benefited because they saw that they had something in common, even if it was just a love of Pigs Fly bread. Relating to a stranger is a great feeling--it reminds you that at the end of the day, we're all just human beings who are more or less the same. It's easy to forget how similar we all are when you miss out on these little moments. So try to have more of them! It can be as easy as this: next time you're standing near someone who tells a funny joke, laugh loudly enough that he or she glances over. Your eyes will meet, and like in a cheesy movie, that shared look will say it all: That was funny. I don't know you. But we can both laugh at the same thing, so maybe we're not that different.
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P.S. Oh, and I know that you're really just wondering about what makes this Pigs Fly bread so damn good. Check out their website and see for yourself! (I promise they did not pay me in any way, I just also happen to be a fan!)
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Talking on the subway? Why?
First of all, welcome to the blog! I do Tumblr and stuff, but I figured it was about time to get a formal blog. If you want to pop over to your Bookmarks Bar and add this to it, that'd be awesome for me, and hopefully just as good for you! I'm going to update this every day, so you'll want to be checking frequently.
Anyways, here goes.
So I'm studying Psychology at Tufts. I'm interested in how people work--how they think when they're by themselves, how they behave when they're around other people, how they decide to remain calm or to freak out. I sometimes call myself a brain-worshiper. Did you know that brains physically change themselves based on how and what you think? That's just nuts. Brains are crazy! (If you don't agree, take one Psych class.Or even just check out this page of brain facts.)
Anyways, for a Social Psychology class last semester, two team members and I had to perform a social experiment with strangers. We chose to ride the subway--in our case, the Red Line of the Boston MBTA, which has a stop right near Tufts. The details of the experiment aren't relevant, other than that to perform it, we approached around 30 individuals and attempted to engage them in conversation.
Doing that, something amazing happened. People were happy to talk to us! Certainly, there were a few people who chose to keep to themselves, but as soon as we made the first move and asked someone a question, we saw eyes light up and mouths eagerly open. One man I talked to willingly handed over his smartphone so that I could look something up! So here was my question--if people are so glad to talk to strangers, why is there such a taboo against talking to strangers in public places?
Think about it. When's the last time you turned to the person next to you in line at Dunkin' Donuts, or the person waiting to cross the busy street next to you in the morning, and said, "Hey, how's it going?" I know the answer. It's never.
Well, I have a theory that if people did this, the world would be a happier place. So I'm out to prove it--and that's what this blog is going to be. We're going to look at meeting people. My journey began with talking to people on the subway--where will yours start?
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Anyways, here goes.
So I'm studying Psychology at Tufts. I'm interested in how people work--how they think when they're by themselves, how they behave when they're around other people, how they decide to remain calm or to freak out. I sometimes call myself a brain-worshiper. Did you know that brains physically change themselves based on how and what you think? That's just nuts. Brains are crazy! (If you don't agree, take one Psych class.Or even just check out this page of brain facts.)
Anyways, for a Social Psychology class last semester, two team members and I had to perform a social experiment with strangers. We chose to ride the subway--in our case, the Red Line of the Boston MBTA, which has a stop right near Tufts. The details of the experiment aren't relevant, other than that to perform it, we approached around 30 individuals and attempted to engage them in conversation.
Doing that, something amazing happened. People were happy to talk to us! Certainly, there were a few people who chose to keep to themselves, but as soon as we made the first move and asked someone a question, we saw eyes light up and mouths eagerly open. One man I talked to willingly handed over his smartphone so that I could look something up! So here was my question--if people are so glad to talk to strangers, why is there such a taboo against talking to strangers in public places?
Think about it. When's the last time you turned to the person next to you in line at Dunkin' Donuts, or the person waiting to cross the busy street next to you in the morning, and said, "Hey, how's it going?" I know the answer. It's never.
Well, I have a theory that if people did this, the world would be a happier place. So I'm out to prove it--and that's what this blog is going to be. We're going to look at meeting people. My journey began with talking to people on the subway--where will yours start?
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