Just like the internet, I’ve found that when people are separated from others by a screen or two, they all of a sudden are willing to do things that they wouldn’t otherwise.
You see this all the time on the internet with people commenting things anonymously (or not) that you know they would never say to someone’s face.
Another place I realized just today that this happens is the road. It’s amazing how rude people can be or how they will purposely try to block you out of getting to your destination. It makes sense to an extent. You’re driving on the road, and you don’t see people with lives and priorities, you see a bunch of metal and plastic blocks that make mistakes for a living.
When I’m driving and I need to get over to a lane that has a steady jam of traffic, it’s often extremely hard to get over. There’s several options. You could just squeeze your way in and make yourself everyone’s enemy, you could give up and just try and make the next exit instead, you could park right in the spot in your lane until a spot opens up.
Those all sound like pretty terrible options and it seems like you at least partially lose in all of them.
But what I found is that the same guy in the lane next to you who was tailgating the guy he was behind in order to make sure you can’t get in, can actually become a friend for today.
Simply letting someone see your face before you try and do something makes them at least 95% more likely to give you a chance, and you actually now have a relationship with someone instead of a block of metal.
I’ve seen people go from completely mean and vial to a great courteous person, just by looking over at them. The key is to do it before you do anything that might tick them off. Just give them a friendly, needy look, and you’ll be amazed at how much people will change to help you.