OPINION - Dr Rangan Chatterjee: Talking to people on the tube could increase your longevity

I was born in the north-west of England. Growing up, I’d heard the rumour that people “down south” weren’t very friendly, but I had always dismissed this as a lazy, unfair stereotype. My first opportunity to spend any proper time in the south was when I went to London in my early twenties. I remember getting off the train at Euston and making my way to the Underground, feeling so excited. The moment I sat down on the Tube, I began chatting to the person next to me. “Busy day?” I asked. She gave me a tight-lipped smile and immediately went back to her newspaper. I then made eye contact with the chap on the other side and nodded him a quick greeting. He was in his sixties and had a smart black leather briefcase clutched between his knees. For a moment, I actually thought he might reach over and slap me.