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Posted by Looky1173 5 days ago

How to talk to anyone and why you should(www.theguardian.com)
460 points | 244 commentspage 6
anal_reactor 5 hours ago|
My problem is that most people have very little to add to my life.
zingababba 3 hours ago||
Here's my life hack: Caffeine makes my verbal fluency suck so I enter a self-reinforcing cycle of not wanting to talk to people. Nicotine makes my verbal fluency not suck so I naturally want to talk to people.

Because of this I do nicotine. Is this healthy? Probably not.

mattlondon 7 hours ago||
I hate these sort of things. Like everyone is just sitting there hoping, hoping for someone to strike up a conversation with them. Oh thank god someone has started a conversation with me! /sarcasm

Respect people's boundaries please. Don't force yourself on people unless they're obviously willing participants.

People put extroversion/introversion as like this binary, permanent thing that cannot be changed. In reality I think it is a spectrum that changes throughout the day and the situation. Someone might be introverted at 8am on their commute, but a wild extrovert at 9pm in the bar. Don't assume, don't try to "help" people you know nothing about.

granfalloon 7 hours ago|
What's being "forced"? And what boundaries aren't being respected? If someone attempts to strike up a conversation and you're not interested, you can signal that. Or just be direct and say you don't feel like talking. Sure, that can be uncomfortable, but you can't expect humanity as a whole to repress its social nature just to spare you occasional, fleeting moments of mild discomfort. (And despite the wide spectrum of social inclinations -- I'm definitely on the introverted end -- I think it's accurate to say that humans, as a species, crave social interaction.)

In your ideal world, how would someone even signal they are a "willing participant" without talking to someone?

mattlondon 7 hours ago||
Because it is this "talk to anyone" thing, like if they say no you just need to keep trying because really deep down they just don't know how nice you're being by giving them a chance to talk to you.

It's supreme arrogance. Read the body language and just leave people alone.

If someone is up for talking they'll show the obvious signs - facing you, eye contact, smiling, that sort of waiting-for-something look/expression. I've had e-fucking-nough of people thinking they can "fix" me when I am trying to get some time to myself waiting for a train or whatever after a stressful day at work or being woken up endlessly by kids/neighbours/whatever.

Otherwise it should be "talk to anyone who is obviously open to and willing to have a conversation with you", at which point it's a total tautology anyway and you don't need a guide, it's just natural chat that you don't need to force on someone to make it happen.

purerandomness 6 hours ago||
> keep trying because really deep down they just don't know how nice you're being by giving them a chance to talk to you.

I don't fathom what kind of trauma would lead you to take this positive, light-hearted advice to connect to fellow human beings, and to spin this into such a vile, evil, anti-social narrative.

How does that help?

mattlondon 6 hours ago||
And that's precisely the point: you can't fathom what someone has been through.

Don't assume people want to talk. Respect boundaries, leave people alone.

vibe_that_works 6 hours ago||
I read in a couple of comments that you are worried about "bothering people". To be honest, don't worry about it, you can attribute sufficient life skills to others to simply tell you (verbally or non-verbally) in case they feel bothered.
johnnyanmac 2 hours ago|
>you can attribute sufficient life skills to others to simply tell you (verbally or non-verbally) in case they feel bothered.

The non-verbal cues are wher things get difficult.

consp 6 hours ago||
Why does the majority of people just assume people want to communicate... I have not read the article and never am going to. This headline premise alone of doing that will destroy any sanity I have. I do not, ever, want to talk you as a standard and you should never force that to me.
jackvalentine 4 hours ago||
You should really read the article rather than judging it based on the title. The author establishes several reasons you might want to speak to others and highlights cultural phenomena where people seem to be yearning for more connection with strangers.

If after reading it you decide it’s not for you then that’s fine, it is as they say bean soup.

latexr 4 hours ago|||
> Why does the majority of people just assume people want to communicate

They don’t. If they did they wouldn’t have an issue striking up a conversation with strangers, but they clearly do.

> I have not read the article and never am going to.

If you don’t know what it says, it might be wise to not be negative about it.

> I do not, ever, want to talk you as a standard and you should never force that to me.

The article isn’t suggesting anyone force anything. Quite the contrary, it advocates for respecting boundaries and even suggests how to communicate your own.

rambambram 6 hours ago|||
You basically just 'forced' me to read your comment. Aren't you talking to a stranger here?
illichosky 6 hours ago||
It is hard as fuck for me. But every time it happened (either me or other person starting) turned out a great memory on itself, or lead to great experiences right after. Still, I do it less often that I would like
h4kunamata 7 hours ago||
In a world full of shallow people and AI here and there, people cannot hold deep talks anymore. You can still talk with anyone but going out specifically to talk with anyone??? Yeah, that ain't happening.

It gives me anxiety lmao you will have better time with hobbies.

gib444 6 hours ago||
I fail at the first hurdle. A small innocuous comment is often met with a "huh?" as if I had said it in Japanese or mentioned how nice the wallpaper tastes. It's like they clock the (relatively mild) autism immediately. Then I just feel super self conscious and lock up
tyzerdako 5 hours ago||
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systima 7 hours ago|
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