Streetlights sculpted a solitary trek to the PCL. Sweat beaded on my brow as I marched to the library’s fifth floor, schoolwork in hand. Speedwalking down Speedway, I passed swarms of UT students, their laughter spilling into the late hours of the night.
Stairs, sidewalks and scooters are passages we encounter every day. We’re always coming from somewhere, heading someplace or even discovering someone along the way. During my evening stroll, the latter captured my curiosity. I engaged in a kind of communication you could only approach through mobility. That evening, I unearthed a truth: socialization never sleeps. Relationships aren’t stationary — they draw power from our movement.
Let’s use this to our advantage.
During a mutual trek along Speedway, I spontaneously greeted computer science junior Jay Patil. Our conversation persisted as we strolled — Patil’s trio of friends tuning into his insight.
“There’s a certain spontaneity that comes with talking to someone while moving rather than talking to someone while sitting,” said Patil.
As a freshman, I have endured many awkward exchanges, yet my introduction to Patil was effortless. Science claims navigation made this conversation so easy. A 2024 Brown study found that social connection and spatial navigation are interconnected. The brain applies mental maps in deciphering both communities and physical spaces; we are constantly reforming these maps, uncovering possible relationships and keeping track of old friends.
Jasmine Wu, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies, researches organizational communication and gives us an example of a serendipitous encounter, which Wu describes as an unplanned interaction that yields valuable results.
“If a (company) hosts a yearly retreat, and people happen to get in a taxi together — this kind of event can trigger future communication,” said Wu. “If companies or organizations do not have those intentional programs to cultivate those relationships or cultivate those opportunities for the conversation to happen, then it will never happen.”
Impromptu interactions are abundant and accessible in transitory environments; it’s easier to converse when you have to fill the silence of a descending elevator or weave through the same walkway as other people.
Catching someone in their commute isn’t always astute. If awkward silence fills the elevator or your streetside interaction falls short, movement always offers a way out.
Beyond experiencing chance encounters, you can intentionally use movement to foster friendships by applying Wu’s insight. Computer science senior and Texas Running Club president Rahul Ramineni explains how community exists alongside his cardio.
“Every run club brings people together,” Ramineni said. “Everyone I meet, regardless of what they’re going through, are like ‘Yo, I’m happy right now. … I’m just happy because I’m on a run. I exercise. I release those endorphins.’”
For Ramineni, movement wasn’t just an extracurricular but a social connector. He explained how competing in the Texas Independent Relay, a 200-mile group race, led him to choose UT amidst transfer apprehension.
“I was figuring out next week whether I had gotten into Georgia Tech,” Ramineni said. “When I crossed that finish line with my team. … I realized ‘Nah, I gotta stay here. I gotta see this out.’”
Compliment someone’s backpack on the bus. Spark a dialogue at your local skate park. Swap profiles while scootering, strolling or simply moving through any mobile hub. Don’t get lost on the way — you may be having the smoothest conversation of your life.
Duong is a radio-television-film freshman from Houston, Texas.
