Humans of New York's Brandon Stanton on How to Talk to Strangers

Brandon Stanton, creator, photographer, interviewer, and author of the recent New York Times bestseller Humans of New York: Stories, discusses how to talk to strangers, the importance of having greater empathy, and more

By Savvy Psychologist Ellen Hendriksen

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

Scientific American presentsSavvy Psychologistby Quick & Dirty Tips. Scientific American and Quick & Dirty Tips are both Macmillan companies.

Savvy Psychologist: This week we’ll talk about how to talk to strangers and with us is the expert. Brandon Stanton is the creator, photographer, and interviewer behind the acclaimed and wildly popular blog, Humans of New York. His new book is Humans of New York: Stories. Brandon, thank you so much for being on the show.

Brandon Stanton: Thank you.

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

SP: People are truly moved by your work. Plus, they love it. You have 16 million likes on Facebook and, as of a few weeks ago, two #1 New York Times bestsellers. Why do you think Humans of New York is so compelling?

BS: I think there is a sort of paradox of one seeing a picture of somebody on the blog that you do not know and that you have never met before and represents a stranger to you, but then at the same time, you’re hearing a story or a quote from them that is very intimate and very revealing and is indicative of something that they might only tell their best friend or someone very close to them. And so I think that combination of seeing a photo of somebody that you know nothing about except for this—one kind of very vulnerable or intimate piece of information—is a very powerful combination.

>> Continue reading on QuickAndDirtyTips.com

Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism

Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.

When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.

Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber

Thank you,

Jeanna Bryner, Editor in Chief, Scientific American