September 10, 2026: In recent years, NPR has explored how seemingly insignifcant interactions with strangers can do more than just brighten our days; they can improve our well‑being.
Gillian Sandstrom was pursuing a degree in psychology when she was struck by how small connections mattered to her, and matter to everyone perhaps more than they know.
Sandstrom’s realization came because she felt, as an older student, she didn’t fit in.
“I was 10 years older than my fellow students,” Sandstrom recalled to NPR in 2023. “I wasn’t sure I was meant to be there. I didn’t instantly feel like a part of that community.”
But on her daily route around her urban campus, she began smiling and waving to a hot dog vendor.
“I never bought a hot dog, but every time I walked past, I would smile and wave at her, and she’d smile and wave at me,” Sandstrom said.
She began looking forward to this daily interaction with a stranger that made her feel less alone.
“She made me feel happy,” she said. “I felt better after seeing her and worse if she wasn’t there… This relationship I had with her really got me thinking about how we have so many people in our lives. We’re only close to a small number of them, but all of the other people seem to matter a lot and maybe a lot more than we realize.”
AI-generated illustration created for The Bright Side. It is not intended to accurately depict the people or events described in this story.
Studying Small Connections
She began studying the power of “weak ties.” Her research found what many people intuitively feel: Even the most casual encounters can boost mood, ease isolation, and strengthen our sense of community.
Now, three years after that original reporting on NPR, the news organization is revisiting how the story affected others. And NPR has collected anecdotes of small acts of kindness between strangers.
They are, not surprisingly, moving.
You can read those accounts here.
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For another story on well-being, read how the secret to aging well might be your mindset.
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