I've heard a lot of people say that people on the East coast are less friendly than the people they meet in the Midwest. One of my professors at Harvard who grew up in Kansas said that he didn't think Wal-Mart would do well in the Cambridge area because they wouldn't be able to find anyone who could cheerfully say "Welcome to Wal-Mart!" at the front door. So what might account for the difference in friendliness between people in rural Kansas and Harvard Square? I think there is a simple explanation, and it is the same reason people don't talk on elevators. When you get on the elevator with a bunch of people you don't know, it is rare for anyone to talk, even if they are people you … [Read more...] about Friendly Space