Study title

These data come from a series of surveys that all relate to understanding the difficulties people have in talking to each other. We investigated: - what concerns/fears people have about talking to strangers and having difficult conversations with acquaintances (e.g., about miscarriage, bereavement, a cancer diagnosis) and close others (e.g., about death and dying) - how these concerns are similar/different across these contexts (e.g., do people worry about similar things when they consider talking to a stranger vs. talking to an acquaintance about bereavement)Humans are social beings who need to feel connected to people, and understood by others in order to thrive. When this need to belong is not met, there are serious negative consequences for physical and mental health. Indeed, loneliness puts people at as much risk of early death as smoking, and at greater risk than obesity (Holt-Lunstad, Smith & Layton, 2010). Loneliness is a widespread social issue in the UK; a recent poll conducted by the Jo Cox commission on loneliness found that "almost three-quarters of older people in the UK are lonely" (The Guardian, 2017). Given the prevalence of loneliness, and its negative consequences, it is crucial to understand the intrapersonal and situational barriers that discourage people from talking to one another, and thus constrain people from fulfilling their need to belong. An understanding of these barriers will form the basis of interventions to encourage more frequent - and more positive - interactions. People generally enjoy socializing and spend a great deal of time talking, but in certain situations they struggle to know what words to say. For example, most people find it challenging to talk to someone who is experiencing a difficult situation (e.g., a cancer diagnosis, the loss of a loved one). It is said that in times of trouble, you find out who your real friends are; the people who let you down decide they're better off to say nothing at all rather than say...