“Never talk to strangers.” Plenty of parents teach this paranoid lesson, but hardly any need to. Most kids refuse to talk to strangers even if the

The Conformity of Silence - by Bryan Caplan - Bet On It

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2024-02-13 18:30:02

“Never talk to strangers.” Plenty of parents teach this paranoid lesson, but hardly any need to. Most kids refuse to talk to strangers even if their parents order them to do so.

You were probably picturing a little kid, but most teens are the same way. Indeed, the problem often gets worse as kids “mature”:

What’s preventing people from initiating conversations, in a word, is conformism. “Approaching strangers and talking to them isn’t normal. I can only do normal things.” The problem? At least in modern societies, conformism mandates silence.

Which is terrible, because wonderful opportunities are waiting for anyone with the courage to speak. Never talk to strangers?! If you never talk to strangers, you never make any friends. And in case you haven’t heard, friendship rules the world.

My recommendation, as usual: Embrace non-conformism. Speak freely in a friendly manner to anyone you wish. Weird? Sure. But I assure you, on balance it works well.