AirPods in both ears and Spotify open, you’re minding your business, walking to the Illini Union. You finally find the right song, so you slip the phone into your pocket and glance upwards.

Big mistake. Houston, we have an “opp” ahead of us.

Freshman year was all about making friends. You joined clubs, frolicked on the Main Quad with your multicultural friend group and went to rush parties that violated various fire codes.

Through all of that, you probably made a few enemies. Or maybe not even enemies — you just met so many people that it’s difficult to determine who’s a friend and who’s merely a familiar face.

Case in point, there’s a bogey approaching on the sidewalk, and you either don’t remember their name or don’t want them to know you remember them.

The classic move is to reach back into your pocket and deeply analyze the 10-day forecast on the weather app. Or to stare down at the sidewalk and look up right after you nearly brush shoulders.

Let’s cut the crap.

We’re living in a “loneliness epidemic.” Half of U.S. adults reported feelings of emotional disconnection in the 2025 Stress in America survey. This can result from multiple factors, including our increasing dependence on technology for communication and stimulation.

Loneliness has serious mental and physical health effects. It’s been “associated with a 29% increased risk of heart disease and a 32% risk of stroke,” according to Dr. Frank Clark, adult outpatient psychiatrist at Prisma Health.

A thriving society requires two kinds of social capital: bonding and bridging. While phones and social media may effectively lead to bonding, bridging is a major concern.

Bridging “forges connections across groups,” according to Stephanie Dutchen of Harvard Medicine Magazine. It’s challenging because it requires individuals to interact with people of different social classes, backgrounds and identities.

You may assume that greeting a friend of a friend or striking up a conversation with the student sitting next to you at Caffe Bene would be awkward.

“In reality, most people find (impromptu) conversations to be incredibly pleasant, they feel happier afterward,” according to Vanessa LoBue, professor of psychology at Rutgers University-Newark.

If you’re walking by that person you only ever dap up at the bar or are stuck in the elevator with that girl who left you on “opened” for three weeks, muster up the courage, bridge the friendship gap and give ’em a “Sup bro” or “Hey girl.”

Granted, this seems like a risky move. While exchanging head nods can “soft launch” a friendship, you also run the risk of being ego’d: “Why is this person not pretending to not remember who I am?”

Here’s the thing: You’re saying “Hi.” You’re the good guy.

What if this in-between friend turns out to be the tender at KAMS tomorrow night? Or in your group for a class project?

Behavior and motivation scientist Heidi Grant discussed how people who reject you are actually more likely to be helpful in the future. Asking for something — in this case, greeting someone — may not trigger anything from the other person at first.

However, getting “snubbed” actually serves to your benefit: “the likelihood of saying yes to a smaller, second request after the first is rejected nearly triple(s),” according to Grant. If they don’t greet you back, you’ve actually just gained a secret social advantage.

A casual chin-flick nod is low risk, high reward. The only thing you’re risking is a reputation for being too friendly.

The rewards? Friendlier interactions, happier moods and chances of benefiting in social and professional settings down the road.

Next time you’re walking to class and staring at the sidewalk, say “Hi” to people you recognize. You’ll feel better, and you’ll be making the world a better place, too.

Alex is a sophomore in LAS.

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