“We’re Not Really Strangers”: 50 Inspiring Signs And Labels About Meaningful Connections

Mental healthexperts have been warning us for several years already that the world has a loneliness problem. According to a Gallup poll, almost one in four adults worldwide say theyfeelvery or fairly lonely.

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You might’ve heard about “We’re Not Really Strangers” if you’re into card and board games. It’s an interesting and meaningful game people can play with their friends, significant others, family members, or strangers they want to get to know better. The creators describe it as a “purpose-driven game and movement all about empowering meaningful connections.“The cards contain prompts that allow players to get to know people better. For instance, “What’s the most pain you’ve ever been in that wasn’t physical?” or “What lesson took you longest to unlearn?” Those who’ve tried it describe it as “healing in a box.”

The cards contain prompts that allow players to get to know people better. For instance, “What’s the most pain you’ve ever been in that wasn’t physical?” or “What lesson took you longest to unlearn?” Those who’ve tried it describe it as “healing in a box.”

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“We’re Not Really Strangers” is the creation of photographer-turned-model Koreen Odiney. She calls photography her first love, but modeling helped her feel financially independent. When she was a teenager shooting portraits on the streets of LA, she would talk to her subjects.“I always asked people my three signature questions, at the time, when taking their photos; ‘What is your name?’, ‘What is your age?’, ‘What are you passionate about?'” shetold Forbes. One of the subjects, in 2016, was reading poetry, and uttered the fateful phrase: “We are not really strangers.”

“I always asked people my three signature questions, at the time, when taking their photos; ‘What is your name?’, ‘What is your age?’, ‘What are you passionate about?'” shetold Forbes. One of the subjects, in 2016, was reading poetry, and uttered the fateful phrase: “We are not really strangers.”

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Since then, Koreen has come up with different editions and expansion packs for the game. There’s one forcouples, self-reflection, friendship, honest dating, family, and even a breakup. Odiney says that the cards are a great way to have deep conversations and ask questions when you’re afraid or anxious. “Instead of feeling bad about asking questions, you’re given a prompt. It creates a separation between yourself and what is being said,” shetoldVogue.

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Researcher Xuan Zhao, who studieshappinessand well-being,saysthat these types of card games allow people to ask deep, personal questions without appearing weird. “One of the barriers to asking deeper questions is that you don’t want to appear nosy. ‘Hey, when was the last time you cried in front of another person?’ You can’t just ask people these kinds of questions out of the blue.”

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We might be more open about the mental health struggles we face, but we’re still finding it hard to connect with people. It’s the age-old problem of the wallflowers: we mistakenly assume that people are not interested in chit-catting with us. As the authors of a Stanford University studynote, we “routinely ignore strangers in [our] close proximity.”

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