Attention can make a short encounter feel unusually complete.

Depth is not a function of duration. Four minutes with somebody who is entirely present can leave you more satisfied than an evening spent beside a person who is half elsewhere, because what registers as connection is being properly looked at rather than being looked at for long. Attention is the scarce ingredient, and most conversations are short of it rather than short of time. This is why some brief exchanges stay with you for years.

You cannot always give people longer, but you can give them your whole attention for the minutes you have. Put the phone face down and try it once today.