Most people are not walking around outside at 8 or 9am. They are either at work indoors, commuting in their vehicles, or still in their homes, perhaps not yet awoken. The result of this is that walking the streets on a refreshingly crisp bright morning, I came across few other pedestrians doing the same, but the ones that I did encounter seemed all-around friendlier than normal. People were smiling. They said hello. Good morning.
I don’t know if it’s a self-selection bias; that people who are up and about at that hour are generally the more friendly people, or maybe nobody wants to be up that early, and we form a small bond, gutting out another early morning. Perhaps it is the mere fact that less people are around. It is no surprise that aynominity allows and even encourages us to act more standoffish, more brutish to strangers. But in these earlier hours, we lose the cover of having many other strangers around. It is more difficult to close yourself off in a 1-on-1 situation than it is when you can disappear in the crowd.
As I stated above, I don’t know the reason. Maybe it is a combination of the above reasons and more. Whatever the cause, it is a welcome time.
