How the start of your week going?
Mondays are classic for "getting into the busy gears" and putting our heads down to focus on the things that need to get done. Well, before you put your head down too far, here is a question to spark your inner curiosity and support your energy throughout this week.
Q: Interacting with strangers is likely to have what effect on your mood?
- a. Make it worse
- b. Make it better
- c. Make it better, then worse
The answer is b- Make it better. A University of British Columbia study found that even brief interactions with strangers tended to improve people's moods.
When I'm busy, I catch myself closing off from the world because "I don't have time to chat!"...and then I see that my mood can start to slip backwards, having a negative impact on my productivity. Yet when I can allow the sacrifice of a little of my busy "me" time, it gives back much more than it takes, because I can face my work with renewed spark.
Join me for a challenge today, and make contact with a stranger, or even an acquaintance. This is an especially good antidote for anyone who has been feeling isolated or lonely. One small dose of connection can open us up to be available for the next one, and the social connectiveness we experience can continue to fill up our gas tank as we tackle our to do list.
Try it out this week and let me know how it goes!
:-) A
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/26/opinion/sunday/hello-stranger.html?_r=0
Gillian M. Sandstrom & Elizabeth W. Dunn. Is Efficiency Overrated? Minimal Social Interactions Lead to Belonging and Positive Affect.
Gillian M. Sandstrom & Elizabeth W. Dunn. Social Interactions and Well-Being The Surprising Power of Weak Ties. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin July 1, 2014 40: 910-922
http://spp.sagepub.com/content/early/2013/08/30/1948550613502990.abstract