Avoid Talking to Strangers (Or Even People You Know)? Turns Out Gen Z Are the Biggest Culprits

Have you been avoiding others?

New research from Uber Australia has shown Aussies are being a lot less social since the pandemic began, and some of the stats are pretty shocking.

More than three quarters of Australians have reportedly gone to “extreme lengths” to avoid socializing, and that more than 25 per cent can’t remember the last time they spoke proactively to a stranger.

We caught up with psychologist Dr Emmanuella Murray to talk about what’s been going on, and what we can do to fix it.

What have we been doing?

Emmanuella said there’s been a trend of Australians going the extra mile just to avoid social interaction.

 “The overall research reveals that almost half, so 48 per cent of Aussies will walk down another aisle at the shops to avoid someone.”

She said that we’ve been using technology as a big tool to help us avoid people.

“Technology is a popular avoidance strategy,” she explained. “The Uber research found that over a quarter of Australians actually pretend to be on their phone or keep their headphones in without music playing to appear busy.”

Some are even resorting to dishonesty, with 42 per cent of Australians admitting to lying about being sick just to avoid a social event.

Although all age groups are doing these things, Emmanuella said young Australians are the worst offenders.

“Gen Z are the worst offenders,” she said.

Rates of social avoidance are higher for Gen Zs in every category, the research shows.

Emmanuella said it’s completely fair to feel socially anxious at times, and that can explain some of these behaviours.

“We all feel a little uncomfortable socialising at times. So some of us are a little bit shy than others. So some people kind of thrive on spending more time alone, where others get their energy from being around people. And I think it's also important to say that some people actually may suffer from social anxiety making it very difficult to socialise.”

So what can we do?

Emmanuella said that by being more social, you can radically improve your mental health.

“People who feel more connected to others experience lower rates of depression, anxiety, have higher self esteem and build stronger trusting relationships.”

You might be sitting there thinking, well that all sounds good, but how do I actually go up to a stranger and have a conversation?!

Emmanuella had some tips on that.

“One of the biggest tips is actually, to pace yourself,” she recommended.

“Find a common topic, and take the moment when you go, oh yes, I heard a bit about that, and then you naturally have a flow. So if you have a topic of interest, I think that can be a very good, easy way of lowering your anxiety and having a nice flow for the conversation.”

Emmanuella also recommends taking social risks, staying focused and improving your mood to connect with new friends.

The researchers at Uber have recommended Uber Pool as an affordable and easy way to socialize with new people, after they found case studies of people meeting new mates, partners and even scoring a job in the back seat of an Uber Pool.