The same thing happens if you ride motorbikes and see another rider, or drive an old combi and see another combi.
Also happens in all cars in some of the rural areas in my country.
My only theory is once a community is small enough, the hello wave is used.
Yeah but your examples are members of the same community. What is weird and endearing is that people who have never been on a boat will wave at people just because they are on a boat. Conversely, people on a boat will eave at people on land. Its as if a transport vehicle was a ride. A jet ski or something.
People on land will wave because they’ve been waved at.
People on a boat will wave at people just because they’re on a boat.
Simple as.
Okay, buy why do people on land wave at people on a boat? Is it a throwback from when people might travel to new and exotic lands possibly never to see their families again? Peopkr also wave at people on carnival rides. Is that the same impulse? Whats up with that?
It is because waving is such an innocent gesture that it feels like letting a puppy drown if you don’t wave back.
Cars (pickups) one or two fingers from the steering wheel.
Bikes (bicycles) do this if they aren’t training
I miss when Jeeps were a small enough community that it was a fun thing. Now you have people practically hanging out their windows to get your attention out of a jeep that has never seen a spec of dirt.
This used to happen to me when I had a three wheeler (Reliant in UK)
I used to have an FJ cruiser- sort of sad that the community was so small but also not! Loved going to Ouray Colorado and Moab for adventures (mine was definitely not a mall crawler but also not absurdly modded).
Once you get outback in Australia pretty much everyone will at the very least lift one finger off the streering wheel.
I like to play a game when I’m driving, if they don’t wave I wait until the last second to do it and see if they’re fast enough to react before we pass
deleted by creator
Good thought! I’ve done all 3.
For boats and bikes, which may not be easily noticed, maybe it evolved as a “I SEE you!” thing? The country roads thing, yeah, that’s just community.
Bus drivers, truck drivers, farmers do it too, established villages smaller than 150 inhabitants as well.
Small community theory: I’d argue that it’s associated with this peer group of approx. 300 people thing, where humans get influenced by only a very few hundred people directly or smth lioe this, but I don’t remember the source.
I believe you’re thinking of Dunbar’s Number, but it’s 150 rather than 300. Which does fit better with your original claim.
Yo that’s the one. Quick skew on wikipedia and I wonder how reliable it is though, given the confidence intervals and broad scope (apes?).
Whitewater kayakers: brown claw instead of wave.
Is that something you use instead of three shells?
It’s one of my favorite things about living in a suburban area. Someone will drive down the block, or be walking by, and I legit have no idea who the hell they are as I’m not super neighborly - but I’ll still do the little head nod thing and the half wave, and they see it and do it back, and it’s just a nice little way of saying “hi, yes, we’re in each other’s extended personal spaces but have no plans on murdering one another - have a pleasant day.”
I wouldn’t be surprised if waving evolved as a way of showing others you weren’t a threat.
Jokes on you… All they’ve been doing is murdering…
Jokes on you… All they’ve been doing is murdering…
I’M ON A BOAT
Aaand, it’s going fast aaand I got my nautical-themed pashmina afghaaaan
Doing flips and shit
I’m on top of the world, I’m on a boat like Leo
If ya on the shore, ya sho ain’t me ohhhhh
Every time I’ve seen the Coast Guard in close range I’ve waved… and every time they’ve waved back.
I think it’s a positive feedback loop.
It’s from back when Neanderthals were taking us out by the thousands, we had to identify our kind from afar and show signs of good intentions.
Also, none of this is true.
More fake history facts please
I misread that as Netherlands and it made perfect sense.
Particularly because the roles would be reversed.
I heard a theory somewhere that the last Neanderthals bred themselves into extinction because male Neanderthals would be more favorable for female Homo Sapiens; female Neanderthals and male Homo Sapiens that couldn’t find mates would find each other more favorable than not mating.
It’s a weird thought. Not sure how true it is either.
I often wave and smile at people in cars. Usually they smile back.
When I was visiting Hiroshima Japan we took a boat out to Miajima (an island). I was standing on the back of the boat and saw a similar boat bringing tourists back. I started to frantically wave and eventually the other boat waved back.
This is like when the Queen was at a livestock show and they brought in some cows. She leaned toward Prince Phillip, pointed at the cows, and said, “Cows!” Why? Because there were cows, I guess.
British tradition, innit.
That is one of my favourite videos.
I do the same thing when I’m in my car, sitting at a stoplight 😂 hey look we are both driving!
It’s a similar reason people wave to train engineers, trains and boats are cool and by extension the people on them are cool.
Motorcyclists, jeep wrangler drivers, people in convertibles, and to a lesser extent, people in muscle cars all do the same thing.
You straight flipn copies
