Hi {{first_name|there}},

It’s another cold commute, and you’re relieved the bus is not any later than it is. You tap your card on the chip reader. The driver doesn’t look up. You walk back to find a seat and the passengers don’t look up either. Heads down, eyes on screens, everyone lost in the stream of their own algorithm.

Sound familiar?

Whether it’s a subway car, a lecture hall, or your neighborhood coffee shop, the modern public space has become strangely private. We’re surrounded by people, yet we move through the day encased in digital cocoons. On paper, we’re more connected than ever. In practice, we’re lonelier than we’ve ever been.

It’s a cruel irony that even as people experience intense loneliness, they don’t reach out to make connections.

But with all the opportunities we have, what’s missing isn’t more connection, it’s more intention.

Most of our daily encounters are purely functional. You ask for a coffee. You nod through a checkout. You ignore someone on the sidewalk. But hidden in these everyday exchanges is the raw material of human connection, if we’re willing to see it.

Social psychologists call it psychological generosity: the small but deliberate redirection of attention from your internal world toward someone else’s.

Think of it as turning outward.

Mind you, it’s not a grand gesture. It’s a micro-habit.

Tiny investments. But compounded daily, they shape your social surroundings and your brain.

We’ll talk about why after a word from this week’s sponsor.

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Research from social psychologist Gillian Sandstrom shows that brief conversations with strangers—what she calls minimal social interactions—boost mood, lower stress, and make people feel more connected, even when they don’t lead to longer relationships.

And in studies by Nicholas Epley at the University of Chicago, commuters asked to strike up conversations with strangers consistently reported more positive experiences than those who stayed silent, even though they predicted they’d be rejected or annoyed. How’s that for rewarding courage?

In short, the science is clear: when we give attention, we get connection.

Even better? That connection ripples.

When you greet someone kindly, you interrupt the cultural script of isolation. You model a different kind of behavior. And you give someone else permission to pay it forward. It doesn’t always lead to a new friendship—but it always leads to a better social atmosphere.

If you’ve ever been the recipient of a random compliment from a stranger, you know how lasting the impact can be. It’s the psychological equivalent of someone seeing you in a crowded room and saying, “You matter.”

And even when no one responds, your act of goodwill is not wasted.

Why? Because generosity strengthens the giver. When we act in ways aligned with our values—compassion, openness, respect—we affirm who we are. We reinforce our own identity as a pro-social person in a fraying world.

And sometimes, just being that person is enough.

Before the next newsletter hits your inbox, commit to three acts of psychological generosity in the next seven days. Don’t overthink it. Be courageous.

Need ideas? Try any of these:

If they engage, great. If not, that’s fine too. We all benefit just for your trying.

The point is to practice showing up as a connector, not a consumer. Not every gesture has to lead to intimacy. But all of them remind the world, and yourself, that people still matter.

And maybe, one of those strangers becomes something more.

A familiar face.
An acquaintance.
A friend.

That’s how community begins. One glance, one question, one moment of generosity at a time.

What’s been your experience been talking to strangers? Do you have something you think could help others? Just hit reply — your email goes straight to my inbox. 🙏

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