NPR reports on recent research by The Harvard Business School which found that people with a mix of weak and strong social ties report higher levels of happiness and wellbeing. Their main take-away? Talk to strangers.

When asked if they talk to strangers, two New Yorkers, Ashley Bice and Mike Jones, unwittingly provided a tutorial for people like me who are slow to chat up strangers.

“ASHLEY BICE: One thing I love about our neighborhood. . . is you can go to a grocery store and have a conversation with someone. I think, especially after the few years that we’ve all been through, it’s nice just to have interaction.

MIKE JONES: Oh, I go to the corner store or whatever, and I talk to somebody. And we’ll be talking about basketball, talking about Bud, tequila, drinks. It doesn’t even matter. We just spark a conversation. And you’re like, all right, yo, I’m going to holler at you. I’m out. And then, that next time I see him at the corner store, it just goes from one – point A to point B, and you just end up chilling on whatever – you know? – just vibing.”