On a commute to work that I had several years ago, there was a man who stood at the same intersection every morning, waving to cars as they went through the intersection, and the response was really positive.
People would honk their horns and wave back, and he impacted so many people that the local newspaper did a story about him, referring to him as the “Good Morning Man”.
It was such a wonderful thing that this quick interaction made people feel good.
Not surprising, though, in a study of people who travel through airports, they found that if those people had even brief interactions with a complete stranger, they tended to feel better.
The takeaway for me is that if you are out and about in the world, and you encounter someone and are considering whether to say hello to them or not, I urge you to do it.
And that’s for two reasons!
First, that quick greeting and acknowledgement may improve the quality of their day.
And second, they’re likely to say hello to you right back and improve the quality of your day, too.