Have you noticed people aren't usually very social towards strangers?

Question

Ever been in an elevator and there is that awkward silence because everyone is just staring forward waiting for the door to open. Ever noticed when it is the first day of a class, everyone sits in chairs away from everyone else. If someone does sit in the vicinity of another person, they usually don't say anything. Just sit there quietly, staring straight forward until the teacher starts the class. I noticed this the other day on my first class of the semester back to college. Why do you think that people tend not to talk with others they do not know? And if you think of it, everyone you know was once a stranger at some point.

Answer 1

that's a really good point - everyone was once a stranger to every single person that they know! and vise-versa... i do know what you mean but i think it really depends on the culture and the person themselves. i mean me personally? in the elevator, i'd be the one smiling if someone caught my eye, or the one to strike up a conversation in the classroom. however, i reckon that both the situations are quite different, i mean, with an elevator, you might not be likely to meet that person again, so you don't have to try to maintain some sort of relationship, no matter how small, but in the classroom, you know that you're going to be spending the rest of the year with these same people, so you might be more likely to socialize.

i think it mainly has something to do with trust issues, seeing as there are so many bad people out there these days and of course the ye old phrase you're brought up with: "DON'T TALK TO STRANGERS" haha :P

Answer 2

Yes I agree many people are a little shy when in this situation (lift and so on ) I usually say something like " thank God it's Friday"..what do you do over the weekend..? ...most open up ...'