Whatever happened to kindness?
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Whatever → happen → kindness
Spoiler alert: Our readers prove it's alive and well
In recent years, NPR has explored how small interactions with strangers can do more than just brighten our days — they can improve our well‑being.
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they → prove → well‑being
Our original story from 2023 traced psychologist Gillian Sandstrom's research back to her experience as a lonely graduate student in Toronto who exchanged a wave and hello daily with a hot dog vendor she passed on campus, even though she never once bought a hot dog.
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she → trace → dog
That brief exchange boosted her spirits so much that she began studying the power of "weak ties."
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she → boost → 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.
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encounters → find → community
Global health professor Kristin Jenkins of Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Mich., wrote to tell us that our story had inspired her to ask her students to intentionally engage with strangers and casual acquaintances.
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story → write → strangers
They enjoyed the assignment so much, they wanted to continue doing it!
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they → enjoy → it
In sharing some of their experiences with NPR, they described moments that echoed Sandstrom's findings.
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that → share → findings
A mechanic started "a wonderful conversation" about nursing school.
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mechanic → start → school
A hospital worker felt more grounded during a stressful shift: "Something as simple as using someone's name or taking a few extra minutes to listen can actually mean a lot.".
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Something → feel → lot
These short, simple interactions became reminders that kindness doesn't always have to be grand to be meaningful.
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kindness → become → ?
About This Series
We're looking back at some of our past global health and development stories to see "whatever happened to ...
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whatever → look → stories
"
Now, we've invited readers to share their own moments of connection — small exchanges that lift their spirits and stay with them much longer than they expect.
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they → invite → them
One woman from California shared a story about her mother, who lost a year of school to polio as a child and has lived ever since with a twisted spine and chronic pain.
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who → share → spine
Even so, for the past two decades, she and her dogs have made weekly visits to nursing homes and hospitals, bringing handwritten cards and goody bags to people who normally don't have visitors.
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who → make → visitors
Another reader in Kenya told us that a quick question about an acronym on a man's T‑shirt while waiting in line at a bakery turned into a lively 15‑minute conversation.
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question → tell → conversation
They both walked away smiling.
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They → walk → ?
Finally, one open-hearted reader doesn't just limit kindness to other humans.
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reader → limit → humans
"Even a simple greeting like 'Hello, brother' to a hawk or 'You are so beautiful' to a flower brightens my day.
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You → brighten → day
And the stories kept coming, all reflecting a simple truth: small gestures matter.
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gestures → keep → truth
To keep a smile on your face, here are a few more:
A listening ear, a pack of tissues
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ear → keep → tissues
It's no mystery that I enjoy talking to strangers.
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I → talk → strangers
Everyone has a story, and I'm hear (see what I did there?) to listen to it.
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I → have → it
I actually dated a guy once that said, "Why do you have to talk to everyone?"
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you → date → everyone
I knew right then and there he wasn't the one.
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he → know → ?
When I stumbled across the NPR article, "Why saying hello to strangers can be good for you," I felt inclined to share a story that happened just today.
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that → stumble → story
I work in corporate events, and part of my job includes operating registration desks.
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part → work → desks
Consider me the Welcome Wagon!
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me → consider → ?
The role actually requires a lot of project management and organizational skills, but for the point of this story: I smile, check people in and print their badges.
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I → require → badges
There is a lot of interaction with strangers, which I enjoy.
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I → be → which
Toward the end of the day, a woman came up to my desk in tears.
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woman → come → tears
She was so embarrassed about what had just transpired in a meeting and decided to share with me.
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what → embarrass → me
She explained she felt behind during the training course.
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she → explain → course
She said the presenter did not assist her in a helpful way and was actually pretty crass.
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presenter → say → way
When she packed up her things and left the room early, the heavy door slammed behind her, making everything feel worse.
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everything → pack → her
Out of everyone she could have walked up to, she chose me.
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she → walk → me
I gave her a mini pack of tissues and listened.
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I → give → tissues
The woman talked about her struggles of being an older woman in a male-dominated tech environment and about how certain moments could make her feel invisible.
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her → talk → environment
I felt like I had a purpose right then to help her in the best way I knew how – just by listening.
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I → feel → way
By the end of our conversation, I felt her mood shift and the heaviness lift.
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heaviness → feel → conversation
…and 27 more, not listed.
The Aporia
