I think the point Godin's trying to make is that people who habitually "play nice" with others, even if starting out as pretenders, supposedly end up living a h

I think the point Godin's trying to make is that people who habitually "play nice" with others, even if starting out as pretenders, supposedly end up living a happier life. This might be a contested claim, and I'm not sure whether there's any research on this exact topic (the results that I've seen published by Martin Seligman point in this direction, at least), but personally, I've seen it working: "radiating niceness " seems to create a feedback loop of sorts. The theory would be that a parking inspector of above-average niceness would lead a life of above-average niceness, which would be the reward (for some). However, the scene Godin describes plays in New York. And I'm not sure that the average New Yorker can be convinced that "playing nice" is compatible with being a true New Yorker...