In a suspicious world, many of us are reluctant to interact with strangers. But talking to people we've never met before, even in passing interactions, can make us wiser and happier. Like many people ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 — ...

This post was written in collaboration with Victoria E. Gillison, MSSP. When I lived in New York City and felt lonely, I’d look around and see tables of friends and wonder how they found their people.

My friends and I glanced at each other and half-jogged after the woman, who was the same height as me but was walking astonishingly fast. As we raced through the streets of Chicago, out of breath, ...

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 ...

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 ...

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.

I fly a lot. I have a typical routine on the plane. I pull out something to read or perhaps an iPad to watch a movie. I do my work. I don’t generally engage in much conversation with the person ...