Speaking only from experience in cities like Minneapolis, Milwaukee, St. Louis, etc., people are likely to "ignore" their surroundings but will wake from that s

Speaking only from experience in cities like Minneapolis, Milwaukee, St. Louis, etc., people are likely to "ignore" their surroundings but will wake from that state when, say, I look them in the eye. I might get a smile, I may only get acknowledgement, but I'll likely get some reaction. In Boston or New York or D.C., where the density is so much greater, to the point where you're literally touching several strangers on the subway, it takes much more to illicit a response. I'm not arguing for one of the other. It's just what I've observed. I think it comes down to density. Imagine riding an elevator with 2 or 3 strangers. Sometimes they'll chat. Imagine riding an elevator with 15 strangers. Most likely it'll be a quiet ride. Now imagine riding those elevators every day for years, almost always with strangers. You get desensitized to strangers in the latter more than the former. The other point with the Midwest is that gossip is actively frowned upon in many subcultures there. It's something you may do with your friends at your house while playing cards, but you'd never, ever, gossip with them in public. The lines are more clearly drawn. It's funny. I've family members who will gossip about their colleagues, miles away in their own homes, but will do so in hushed tones. It's all very Lake Wobegon.