[protomyth]

Seems pretty cynical to me too, but I've lived in either North Dakota or Minnesota for a couple of decades. It takes so little effort to be nice and have a conversation with people. Who knows, you might make the teller laugh and get through their day easier.

[from the article] Does anyone who has ever said “have a good one” actually mean it?

Yep, I do mean it. I'm that sap. I wish you well and still sign all my e-mail "keep safe". I mean that too. The world can be an unforgiving place, no need for me to not help you along.

[StavrosK]

I am rather dismayed by the lack of interaction between people in my country (Greece). We don't talk to strangers at all, not even to say hi or hold a door open or anything. It's a cultural thing, people just don't think to talk to other people.

That's all I wanted to say, have a good day!

[coderdude]

It's like that in southern California. Most people out here act cold and just want to keep to their own. People rarely say hello to anyone they pass on the streets. Just keep your eyes pointed forward and maybe you won't have to interact with another person. The mean streets of Orange County.

[saryant]

That was the biggest difference I noticed when I moved from the Bay Area to Texas. Everyone says hello, everyone asks how you're doing. I grew up thinking no one was ever nice to a stranger. It was unnerving at first but frankly it's more pleasant this way.

And it's not just the south, been this way everywhere else I go in the middle of the country.

(Except on Houston's roads, of course. That's a different world entirely)

[Muzza]

Strange. A common complaint among Swedes is that we don't talk to strangers... like they (supposedly) do in Greece (or Spain or France).