wakha

The science

Say yes to the tea: strangers are better company than we think

In field experiments, people asked to talk to a stranger enjoyed it more than people told to keep to themselves, while others predicted the opposite. Eating with others, and eating the same food, goes with feeling closer and trusting more.

Evidence: Moderate

Randomised field experiments on talking to strangers; the food findings are surveys and small lab experiments.

What the studies show

Commuters on Chicago trains and buses were randomly asked to talk to a stranger, sit alone, or do as usual. Those who talked had the better ride, and said it was no less productive. Others, asked beforehand, predicted the opposite: people underestimate how much strangers want to talk.

In a coffee shop experiment, customers asked to chat briefly with the barista left in a better mood than those told to be efficient, through a sense of belonging. It was a small study in one setting.

In a survey of 2,000 UK adults, people who eat with others more often reported more life satisfaction, trust and close friends; the author says it can't show cause. In lab experiments, strangers who ate the same food trusted each other more.

In Morocco

Mint tea, atay, is how a conversation starts in Morocco: in a shop, a riad, a village on a walk. A couscous on Friday is eaten from one dish in the middle of the table. Wakha's name is the word for saying yes to that. Keep your judgement for money: a free tea in a shop is often the start of a sale, and "no thank you" is fine.

Where it stops

  • These studies were done in the US and the UK, not in Morocco. They say nothing about Moroccans in particular.
  • No rigorous study has measured "Moroccan hospitality" or what it does for visitors.
  • The food studies are a survey and small lab experiments; they show a link, not proof.
Sources, checked 2026-11-14
  1. Epley & Schroeder (2014). Mistakenly seeking solitude. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 143(5)
  2. Sandstrom & Dunn (2014). Is efficiency overrated? Minimal social interactions lead to belonging and positive affect. Social Psychological and Personality Science 5(4)
  3. Dunbar (2017). Breaking bread: the functions of social eating. Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology 3(3)
  4. Woolley & Fishbach (2017). A recipe for friendship: similar food consumption promotes trust and cooperation. Journal of Consumer Psychology 27(1)

More of the science

Holidays and happinessThe lift is real, small and short. Looking forward to it counts too.New places and memoryVaried days go with better mood; routine shrinks remembered time.Winter sunMarrakech gets about four times London's December sun. What that does and doesn't mean.Awe in the dunesAwe is a well-studied emotion. Vast places reliably trigger it.The Milky WayMost Europeans can't see it from home. In the Sahara you can.The sea, and surfingCoast visits go with feeling better. Surf therapy: too early to say.Walking in the AtlasA walk in nature lifts mood for hours. Toubkal also means altitude.The hammamNo study has tested it. What sauna research does and doesn't say.Other cultures and creativityLiving abroad is linked to creativity. A short trip wasn't.A few words of DarijaNo proven brain boost. Still the best way to start a conversation.Couples and familiesNew things together help in the short term. A trip won't fix a relationship.

Plan it

Culture and etiquetteInvitations, tea, the shared plateSafety and scamsFriendly offers that turn into a sale

Say yes to the trip

Tell us your email and we'll write when the Wakha app is ready: offline, every city, every answer.