Riley Sayers, Special to The Denisonian–
Two weeks ago, I was sitting in my global commerce class with a few minutes left before the clock hit 2:50. I waited for my teacher to reveal the homework, expecting the typical readings or writings.
However, my teacher assigned us a peculiar yet enticing assignment. Break a social norm.
Following my class, I spent some time thinking about how social norms are something automatic within society, almost preprogrammed in our brains. The seemingly easy task was soon revealed to be difficult as I hesitated what to choose. I feared picking something too crazy and being judged, but also wanting to successfully complete the assignment. After a quick Google search on “typical social norms” I found myself picking a fairly easy task: Eating dessert before dinner.
As I sat down for dinner that night at Huffman Dining Hall with my friends, I grabbed a cookie to go along with my plate. When the time came to break my norm, I was just faced with a few laughs and stares from my friends at our table. The idea of breaking a social norm seemed a little terrifying and odd. However, most of them moved on after a few minutes and didn’t give it a second thought.
When we got back to class the following Thursday, we were asked to present our norms that we broke.
My other classmates were involved in activities such as not holding the door open for others, facing the wrong way in the elevator, or even stepping on the seal in front of Swasey Chapel. The consensus was clear; the idea of breaking norms seems risky, but people will more than likely always move on.
As humans we’re programmed to be more concerned about ourselves and how our actions are perceived by those around us. Perception is often a horrifying thought, causing us to conform to norms to fit in.
I began to rethink how actions are perceived here at Denison and how they’re amplified due to the small student body. Actions are often more noticeable and small deviations tend to stand out.
Most students pass the same people everyday on their way to class, but usually don’t give it a second thought. I am not stating that sparking up random conversations is unlikely here on campus, because that would be untrue. However, society has trained us all to evaluate social cues before interacting with one another.
For instance, if people are on their phones or are already engulfed in conversation, it creates a kind of social shield around them, signaling that they aren’t available to interact at that specific moment. Society has trained us to evaluate situations in this way, using others actions to deem when it is acceptable to interact with others.
This assignment found itself branching to other aspects of my life as the week went on, proving that these small interactions on campus do in fact matter. Whether it’s something less risky like greeting a stranger in line at Slayter Union, holding the door open for someone in the library, or waving to familiar faces on A quad, community is all around us.
Even if uncomfortable, approaching peers and taking risks can break the “social bubble” often created on small campuses such as Denison. The fear of rejection can also be amplified on campus due to how fast word spreads and the fear of being perceived.
Having the opportunity to attend a small institution is a pathway to greater connections due to the familiarity of faces around. The constant interactions with the same people force us to take risks even when a situation would usually be deemed as uncomfortable or inappropriate.
Social risks aren’t just harmless; they’re necessary for Denison’s foundation of community. While choosing to eat dessert before dinner may have just been a silly assignment, I was reminded that small risks lead into big ideas and connections.Taking risks has value, and shared risks build community. On a campus as small as Denison, sometimes breaking the barriers is the best way to spark conversation and foster community.
Riley Sayers ‘29 is global commerce and visual art double major from Columbus.