Research shows we dread talking to strangers but we’re much happier when we actually do. These tools can help. Layoffs, tariffs, AI disruption, polarization, looming climate disaster. There are plenty ...

As children, most of us were raised to not talk to strangers. The rule is meant to keep us safe, but carrying the idea into adulthood can cause us to miss out on enriching conversations. A new study ...

There are numerous apps, such as Omegle, that you can use to do video chat and video calls with random people as an alternative. These apps provide the same core functionality as Omegle and allow you ...

A new study suggests that people who talk to strangers as well as family and friends are happier. It’s well known that there is a link between happiness and social connection, but researchers from ...

Hello! I’m Deborah Netburn, the faith and spirituality reporter for the L.A. Times filling in this week for your usual newsletter writer, Laura Newberry. Laura is one of my best friends at the paper — ...

SANTIAGO, Chile — As darkness fell on a festival that had filled the streets all day, the party shifted indoors, to the tiny restaurants and bars around the hilly park called Cerro Santa Lucía.

The prospect of striking up conversations with random strangers in coffee shops, or bars, or on the bus started to feel daunting. Eventually, I just stopped doing it. Article continues below this ad ...

Depending on your natural level of extraversion, you may view chit-chat with strangers more like a mild form of torture than a mood booster (as an introvert, I hear you). But the research is clear: ...