We often think of connection as something that requires vulnerability or deep conversation, but research suggests that even brief, seemingly trivial interactions with strangers — a nod from a passerby, a short exchange with a barista — can meaningfully boost our sense of belonging. The problem is that most of us opt out of these moments, assuming the other person would rather be left alone. But studies find we are systematically wrong about this: strangers are far more interested in connecting with us than we predict.
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It is not irritating to be where one is. It is only irritating to think one would like to be somewhere else.
John Cage — Silence: Lectures and Writings
You've probably been told that better choices come from more data or sharper reasoning, but neuroscience shows us that our choices are fundamentally emotional. Our feelings are the underlying 'context-setters' on which our rational brain acts. When we avoid certain emotional states, our solution set becomes constrained in ways we may not even be aware of.
Joe Hudson
The obscure we see eventually. The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer.
Edward R. Murrow — Address to the Radio-Television News Directors Association