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People Divulge Their Go-To 'Small Talk' Topics With Strangers

Be it on a blind date, at a party where you don't know anyone, or sitting next to someone on an airplane, starting a conversation with a total stranger is difficult.

As much as we'd all like to be friendly, far too often we find ourselves at a loss for words.

It doesn't help that we generally have no idea of what these people's various interests are, making it anyone's guess how they'll respond.

But some have this problem solved, finding a go-to topic which is always guaranteed to get a response, no matter who you're talking to.

Redditor Blugged_Bunny was curious to hear what people thought was the best way to begin a conversation with strangers, leading them to ask:

"What is your go-to 'small talk' topic with strangers?"


Did you check the forecast?

"We sure are having a lot of weather"- r_Ju_Tacular.

"As a British person, the conversation usually starts like this:"

“'You alright?'"

”Yeah you?”'

“'Yeah not too bad, weathers a bit sh*t innit?'”

“'Yeah”'.

"The end."- chelstippins

Cloud Storm GIF by Weather UndergroundGiphy

Why beat around the bush?

"Straight to politics and religion."- Turd_Ferguson009.

Just let it happen.

"Make an observation."

"Literally anything."It helps if it’s something about them like an article of clothing that catches your eye, something they’re doing, anything that you can relate to or are interested in but it doesn’t have to be."

"It can be something in the environment that is drawing both of your attention."

"People bullsh*t about the weather all the time."

"Make a comment about it, gauge their willingness to talk about it to you and build off of what you get from the response."

"If all you get is 'haha yeah', leave it."

"No shame in silence."

"Some people just don’t want to talk."

I"f you’re talking about the weather, 'Man it’s a great day out today!'"

“'Yeah absolutely! I drove here with my windows down all the way here!'”

"Boom, you’ve got something to latch onto."

"They probably enjoy getting outside for some fresh air. "

"They probably enjoy driving."

"Ask about their car."

"Ask if they go on drives a lot."

"Ask if they do outdoor stuff."

"What kind of outdoor stuff?"

"Once you’ve got something to work with, the key is to ask."

"Let them do the talking."

"People love talking about themselves."

"You learn some light hearted things about the stranger, they feel more comfortable, and you can add bits and bobs of your own experiences in response so they get to know you too."

"It works in literally any situation."

"From an elevator ride to a first date."

"It’s so easy to personalize small talk and it makes it so much less uncomfortable."- 1arrocknroll.

"But enough about me, what do you think about me?"

"Usually people love to talk about themselves, so a few questions about them and some follow up questions to their answers usually does it."- I_can_see_the_music.

For Me GIF by Liz HuettGiphy

"Food, glorious food..."

"Food."

"People typically love food."

"I mention I’m new/newer to an area."

"And ask them what they like, where they eat out."

"Usually works and people have their choices validated and I always know where to find good local snacks."- TheProfWife.

Outer space.

"You hear about Pluto?... that's messed up right."- Papitorres.

Pluto Flyby GIFGiphy

Can you believe it?

"Did you see that ludicrous display last night?"- housemuncher.

Nothing!

"As a Norwegian - we leave strangers alone."

"No need to bother them."- neihuffda.

No Idea Reaction GIF by BounceGiphy

The sky's the limit.

"So, do you like stuff?"- Bwon669.

All of these seem like surefire ways to get a conversation started.

But use cautiously, as who knows how long it will take these conversations to end.

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Men Who've Gotten A Vasectomy Share Their Experiences

Reddit user GaleNotTheWind asked: 'Men of Reddit who have gotten a vasectomy, what was your experience?'

Pair of scissors
Markus Winkler/Unsplash

According to the Cleveland Clinic, over 50 million men have had a vasectomy.

Although avoiding sexual intercourse is the only effective way to avoid pregnancy, the male birth control procedure still has a low failure rate.

Those who are apprehensive about having a vasectomy fear the following: pain, impact on sex life, effectiveness, and side effects like cancer. (The National Cancer Institute and the American Urological Association have found that the procedure does not increase the risk of prostate cancer).

To seek some reassurance, Redditor GaleNotTheWind asked:

"Men of Reddit who have gotten a vasectomy, what was your experience?"

Guys discuss what happened after the snipping.

Making Sure

"For the love of God, do the follow-up appointment. The last thing you want is to be accidentally playing with a loaded gun."

– sleepypanda59

Wise To Wait

"The paper work I got for mine which was done less than 2 weeks ago said that you could have sex 2-3 days after but... definitely said to wait another few days."

– SisterPhister666

Follow Post-Surgical Procedures Or Else

"Had it done twice while living in Japan no less. Why twice? The first one failed."

"... apparently, so did the second (says my now 6 year old daughter)."

– shoelessmarcelshell

These men found that the procedure itself wasn't a big deal.

Assurance

"I was super anxious, but I had a great procedure. I was more freaked out about the shot of numbing agent to the balls, but it was legit nothing to worry about."

– Reddit

Normal In No Time

"Little operation, blue balls and no wanking for a week, then back to normal but without getting anyone pregnant."

– Bright_Composer_3901

"Made the mistake of having a pop after a couple of days. Jesus, the regret."

– Alante

Best Money Ever Spent

"When I woke up after the anesthesia - yes I asked to be put under, best $55 (after insurance) I ever spent - the caffeine headache I had upon waking was the most painful part. The preoperative instructions were nothing but water the evening before, no water for 4 hours before going under. The Safeway brand cola that the angel aftercare nurse brought me was pure refreshment."

– HarrumphingDuck

Cherry On Top

"Local anesthesia stings for a second or two then all you can feel is tugging after all is done the pain I would describe is like blue balls for like 2 days tops. I took a week off work recommend by doctor since I’m a construction worker and the heavy lifting but I felt like after day 3 I was good to go. Cons: minor pain discomfort, no hanky panky until last semen sample came out clear. Pros: , no unplanned pregnancies(it’s still possible very rarely)."

– Secure_Requirement84

Some final thoughts.

Only Pros

"To me, the only bad part was the smell of the cauterization of my vas deferens.. the procedure was fine. Local anesthesia before and during just felt slight tugging no pain. Recovery was easy. No pain. No cons. Only pros. And if absolutely need be it’s reversible. Much easier and less invasive than a woman getting her tubes tied and significantly less harmful than birth control. I’m an advocate. Get it done!"

– PunchARacist

One Unsettling Thing

"For me, it wasn’t the smell but watching the little puffs of smoke during the cauterization. That was truly and deeply unsettling."

"Otherwise, yeah, nothing major to report. Stayed in bed for a day watching old horror movies and assembling a Lego plant. Pretty much business as usual after that."

– GuestCartographer

The One Constant

"Got a vasectomy, it worked. Got it reversed, that worked.... twice Got another vasectomy...17 years later, all good. Just go to a legit great Dr. I mean top of the field Dr. For ANY messsin around down there. Vasectomy is WAY easier now than 25-30 years ago. In/out in an hour... The only thing that hasn't changed? ... The bag of frozen peas ..😂"

– richwat00

Vasectomies are performed via two methods, the incision vasectomy or a no-scalpel vasectomy, and both use local anesthesia to numb the scrotum.

Always consult a healthcare provider before undergoing the procedure and–most importantly–make sure you don't want to have children or that you and your spouse don't want to add additional family members.

Based on the anecdotes above, there's nothing to fear, so feel free to man up and get to snipping.

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