🇺🇸 영어 원문
That’s a good thing to say, as we reported in a story we published three years ago: Why a stranger’s hello can do more than just brighten your day.
Correspondent Rhitu Chatterjee reported on studies showing that simply chatting with strangers has a lasting impact: It can make the participants happy. Even smiling and waving hello to a vendor you see regularly can boost your spirits, says psychologist Gillian Sandstrom, who delved into the benefits of social ties after her own uplifting exchanges with a hot dog seller during a time when she was feeling really isolated.
The article struck a chord with readers, who shared their own stories of random encounters. And it keeps on inspiring people. A few weeks ago, we heard from Kristin Jenkins, an infection preventionist and a global health professor at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Mich. She told us that she asks her students to read the story and then try engaging with strangers and casual acquaintances.
She had thought they’d enjoy the assignment. And they did. What surprised her was how many of her students, “whether they were an introvert or extrovert, indicated that they wanted to continue practicing intentionality. This illustrates an important life lesson; when we are deliberate in showing kindness — even through simple conversations — it benefits us as much as the recipient.”
Jenkins shared some of the written responses from her students. We’d like to highlight a few — and republish the original story as well.
“At first, it felt a little awkward starting conversations,” recalled Jessenia Garcia Garnica. “But it got easier as the day went on. These interactions made me feel more comfortable and even a little happier. They helped me break up my routine and made me feel more connected with others.”
“I noticed pretty quickly that these small interactions actually seemed to make a difference, especially in a place like the hospital [where I work] where almost everyone is a little stressed,” observed Saskia Guikema. “It reinforced something I already believed: People really do appreciate being remembered. Something as simple as using someone’s name or taking a few extra minutes to listen can actually mean a lot.”
Morgan Scholten pithily summed up the essence of her experience: “A simple conversation helped boost my mood and made me feel more connected to those people I spend every day with. This is something I will consider doing more often.”
Before Gillian Sandstrom became a psychologist, she was a computer programmer. Then she decided to change tracks and pursue a degree in psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University. And she felt like she didn’t fit in.
“I was 10 years older than my fellow students,” Sandstrom recalls. “I wasn’t sure I was meant to be there. I didn’t instantly feel like a part of that community.”
On her daily walk from one university building to another, Sandstrom would pass a hot dog stand.
“I never bought a hot dog, but every time I walked past, I would smile and wave at her and she’d smile and wave at me,” she says.
Sandstrom remembers looking forward to this daily interaction. This brief exchange with a stranger made her feel less isolated.
“She made me feel happy,” she says. “I felt better after seeing her and worse if she wasn’t there.”
Years later, that type of brief but happy encounter inspired Sandstrom to design a study that looks at the benefits of social connections — encounters, even brief ones, with strangers, acquaintances and anyone.
🇰🇷 한국어 요약
안녕하세요, 여러분! 오늘 소개할 기사는 우리가 일상에서 흔히 지나칠 수 있는 ‘낯선 사람과의 인사’가 얼마나 큰 영향을 미칠 수 있는지 이야기합니다. 심리학자 길리안 샌드스트롬은 외로움을 느끼던 시절, 핫도그 가게 주인과 매일 인사를 나누며 위로를 받았다고 합니다. 이 경험을 바탕으로 그녀는 낯선 사람과의 짧은 대화가 사람들의 기분을 좋게 만들고 사회적 유대감을 높인다는 연구를 진행했죠. 대학생 크리스틴 젠킨스 교수는 이 글을 학생들에게 읽고陌生人(낯선 사람) 과 대화해 보게 했더니, 내향적이든 외향적이든 학생들이 의도적으로 친절을 베푸는 것이 자신과 상대방 모두에게 도움이 된다고 느꼈다고 합니다. 일상에서 누군가에게 미소를 짓거나 이름을 불러주는 작은 행동이 우리의 일상에 활력을 불어넣고 더 연결된 느낌을 준다는 교훈을 얻을 수 있습니다.
🔑 핵심 단어 (Vocabulary)
- Isolated – 고립된, 외로운 – …during a time when she was feeling really isolated.
- Intentionality – 의도성, 주체성 – …indicated that they wanted to continue practicing intentionality.
- Recipient – 수혜자, 받는 사람 – …it benefits us as much as the recipient.
- Routine – 일상, 루틴 – They helped me break up my routine and made me feel more connected…
- Reinforced – 강화되다, 뒷받침되다 – It reinforced something I already believed…
- Appreciate – 감사해하다, 가치 있게 여기다 – People really do appreciate being remembered.
- Community – 공동체, 커뮤니티 – I didn’t instantly feel like a part of that community.
- Encounters – 만남, 조우 – …encounters, even brief ones, with strangers…
- Deliberate – 의도적인, 신중한 – …when we are deliberate in showing kindness…
- Spirits – 기분, 정신 – …can boost your spirits…
🔗 원문 링크
https://www.npr.org/2026/05/09/g-s1-119761/hello-greeting-strangers-benefit-social-ties