There was a recent NPR segment on the power of weak ties - not for trading favors or personal gain, but simply for the human interaction:
"Someone who talks to lots of different kinds of people - strangers, acquaintances, friends, family, colleagues - in a day is likely to feel happier than someone who talks only to [close connections]."
Now some people are more introverted than others. Some may cringe at making small talk. I get that. But I think we all desire to be known. We all want our existence to be acknowledged.
People today are lonely. They crave social connection. In our modern world, it's easy to feel like you're invisible - a speck in the universe, another face in the crowd, a nobody among nobodies in the big city.
When I worked in LA, every morning I'd park my car, take the stairs up to the lobby, and see the guard at the security desk. He was an older African American gentleman. Sometimes we'd chat for five minutes; most days it was a quick "how are you doing?"
We never talked about anything particularly deep - just our weekend plans, the latest cultural phenomenon or political snafu, or even how ridiculous traffic was that morning. There was no agenda, no takeaways, no follow-ups - just two people having a normal conversation. It was nice. The times he wasn't on duty, it felt like something was missing as I started my day.
In college, I began a habit of talking with random people. Not because I was an extrovert but precisely because I wasn't. I'd strike up conversations while standing in line, waiting in lobbies, or sitting in cafes. A brief exchange beats glancing at each other awkwardly. Some of those encounters even led to friendships.
I realized there were people I'd seen around - classmates and neighbors whom I had passed by many times - yet we had never spoken a word to one another. I made a point to say hi to them.
Likewise, I'd engage in conversation the supermarket cashier, the bank teller, the employee making my burrito at Chipotle. Those minute or two felt less transactional and more human.
Without interaction we're prone to assume. People may appear cold, standoffish, even hostile. They have a hard look to them; their faces say stay away. Or they seem so different there's no reason to talk. But a quick chat reveals how friendly they are or how much you have in common. And guess what? They may have had the same assumptions about you.
Research suggests that these everyday conversations "build the sense of community and belonging to a larger social structure." In layman's terms, we can all make the world feel warmer, safer, and more connected.
Often it begins with a simple hello.