Bus drivers experience a little uptick in happiness when passengers greet them upon boarding and leaving the bus. This may seem like common knowledge, yet it was just recently confirmed by a study.
A recent survey found that just 23% of passengers thanked the bus driver upon entering, and even less than 10% did so upon leaving. Experts claim that even these little exchanges might improve the mood of any person.
Greetings Boost People's Mood
Stickers were placed on certain buses in Hammersmith, England, as part of a trial program to encourage passengers to introduce themselves and express gratitude to their drivers.
Two out of ten commuters on buses without stickers welcomed the driver, whereas three out of ten did so on stickered buses. Researchers concluded that 77 drivers found it significant when passengers greeted them. They estimate that this may lead to an additional 140 million encounters every year.
More than 80% of passengers at one bus stop felt that saying hello had a good effect. However, fewer than a quarter actually did it, according to the poll conducted by the University of Sussex, Transport for London (TfL), and research company Neighbourly Lab.
Dozens of London bus drivers were questioned for the study, and they all agreed that hearing "good morning" or "thank you" from their customers makes their day. Go Ahead London, which runs a quarter of the city's buses, claims that its drivers get the feeling of "respected," "seen," and "appreciated" when interacting with passengers, as reported by BBC.
Micro-Interactions and Human Connection
Dr. Gillian Sandstrom, head of the Sussex Centre for Research on Kindness, said that micro-interactions like this are more well-received and impactful than most people realize.
"The fact that a simple nudge, in the form of a sticker on the bus, was enough to encourage people to greet the driver suggests to me that people want to reach out and connect with others, but sometimes feel like they can't or shouldn't," she added.
Neighbourly Lab, a social connection firm, has plans to expand the intervention to more bus routes after its successful pilot.
According to Grainne O'Dwyer, senior project manager at Neighbourly Lab, this study adds significantly to the knowledge of the importance of ordinary, everyday encounters.
Dr. Sandstrom told the Daily Mail that humans have an innate need to feel a sense of community and belonging. "We suffer emotionally and physically when we feel disconnected from other people."
Personal connections are the primary means by which people satisfy this desire, but it is encouraging to know that interpersonal ties are not necessary to have a sense of belonging.
"Recognition and acknowledgment of each other is something we should encourage more, and I hope we can expand on this across London," said Tom Cunnington, director of bus business development at TfL.
