Café Scientifique: Talking to strangers

DOORS 7PM | SPEAKER 7.30PM

Please note that we are entirely dependent on donations from those who attend our events. You can make a donation as you arrive or leave; we are happy to accept cash or card payments. All donations greatly appreciated!

Please ensure you REGISTER prior to attending!

Gillian Sandstrom is an associate professor in the psychology of kindness at the University of Sussex and author of Once Upon a Stranger: The Science of How ‘Small’ Talk Can Add Up To a Big Life. Her research has been featured in The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph, and media outlets around the world. She has been interviewed for BBC Breakfast, Woman’s Hour, Claudia Hammond’s All in the Mind, and Guardian Science Weekly. She lives in Brighton.

In our daily lives, we can’t help but cross paths with strangers: riding in a lift, waiting at a bus stop, buying groceries. Most of the time, we hardly notice (and if we do, we carefully ignore each other).

Prof. Sandstrom has been studying these seemingly tiny, everyday moments for more than 15 years. She will share research about:
– why talking to strangers can seem scary or difficult for many of us (it’s not just you!)
– why it’s worth pushing past our fears and reaching out to people.

Prof. Sandstrom started doing this ‘me-search’ because she found that talking to strangers was enjoyable, valuable and meaningful – despite being shy and introverted herself. Through the stories of her own conversations with strangers, she will share practical tips that will help you give it a go yourself.