You’re barely awake. The coffee hasn't even hit your bloodstream yet. You stumble into the office or hop onto a Slack channel, and there it is—the inevitable, performative chirp of "Good morning!" from a dozen people who are likely just as tired as you are. It’s a social script we follow without thinking, a verbal reflex that has become so ingrained in our daily lives that we’ve stopped questioning whether it actually means anything. Honestly, if you look at the way our modern world operates, there's no point in saying good morning if the phrase has lost all its sincerity and utility.
We live in a hyper-connected, asynchronous era. The traditional greeting was designed for a time when people started their day at the same time, in the same place, with a shared sense of beginning. Now? Your "morning" might be someone else’s midnight. Your "good" might be a frantic rush to meet a deadline while the kids scream in the background. When we utter these two words, we aren't usually wishing someone a pleasant start to their day; we’re just checking a box. It's social maintenance. It's noise.
The Death of Sincerity in Standard Greetings
Psychologists often talk about "patic communication." This is the kind of talk that doesn't actually convey information. Think of it like a social handshake. Bronisław Malinowski, a famous anthropologist, coined this term to describe language used to establish a mood or a social bond rather than to exchange ideas. The problem is that in 2026, our social bonds are increasingly digital and fragmented. When you blast "Good morning" into a group chat with forty people, you aren't bonding. You’re just adding to the notification fatigue.
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It feels fake. Because it usually is.
Have you ever said it to someone you actually dislike? Probably. You do it because it’s "polite." But when politeness becomes a mask for indifference or even hostility, the words lose their weight. Research into workplace dynamics often shows that forced pleasantries can actually increase emotional labor. If you’re having a terrible start to your day, being forced to reciprocate a "good morning" requires you to perform a version of yourself that isn't real. It's exhausting.
There's a specific kind of mental drain that comes from maintaining a cheerful facade. Forcing a smile and a "morning!" when you've just spent forty minutes in gridlock or dealt with a plumbing leak isn't helpful. It's repressive. We’ve reached a point where the phrase is basically a linguistic "read" receipt. It says "I am here," but it doesn't say "I care how you are."
Why there's no point in saying good morning in a digital workspace
Let’s talk about Slack, Teams, and Discord. The "Good Morning" plague is real.
In a physical office, you walk past a desk, nod, and say the words. It takes two seconds. It’s ephemeral. In a digital space, that greeting sits there. It triggers a notification. It breaks someone’s "deep work" flow. Cal Newport, author of Deep Work, emphasizes that every interruption, no matter how small, carries a "context switching" cost. If you’re deep in a coding problem or writing a complex report and a "Good morning!" notification pops up, it takes your brain an average of 23 minutes to get back to that same level of focus.
Was that greeting worth 23 minutes of your colleague's productivity? Almost certainly not.
- It creates clutter in the channel.
- It forces people to scroll past fluff to find actual information.
- It pressures others to respond, creating a cascade of meaningless pings.
Beyond the productivity hit, there's the timezone issue. With remote work becoming the standard for many industries, "morning" is subjective. If I’m in New York and you’re in Berlin, my "Good morning" is your "I’m thinking about what to have for dinner." It’s a localized greeting in a globalized world. It highlights the distance rather than bridging it.
The Linguistic Evolution of the "Morning"
Language changes. It has to. Old English speakers used "Gódne morgen," but they lived in a world where surviving the night was an actual accomplishment. Mornings were a relief. Today, for many of us, the morning is the most stressful part of the day. It’s the sound of an alarm clock, the dread of the inbox, the chaos of the commute. Calling it "good" feels like a gaslighting tactic from the universe.
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In many cultures, greetings are far more specific. Some languages have greetings that change based on whether you are arriving or leaving, or whether you are speaking to an elder or a peer. Our blanket "good morning" is lazy. It’s a one-size-fits-all garment that fits nobody particularly well.
If we want to actually connect with people, we need better tools. A "Hey, I saw that project you finished yesterday, great job" is infinitely more valuable than a generic morning greeting. It shows attention. It shows value. A "Good morning" shows that you know what time it is and that you have a functioning vocal cord.
Social Anxiety and the Pressure to Perform
For people with social anxiety, the morning greeting ritual is a minefield. Do I say it first? Do I wait for them? Did I say it too loudly? Was my tone weird?
The expectation of this ritual creates a barrier to entry for the day. If you miss someone in the hallway and don't say it, are you now the "rude" person? There’s this weird social debt that builds up. You feel like you owe people a greeting, and they owe you one back. It’s a transaction that yields zero profit for either party.
Honestly, some of the most productive and healthy work environments I’ve ever seen were the ones where the "no-morning-talk" rule was implicitly understood. People came in, sat down, got their coffee, and started working. They talked when there was something to talk about. The lack of forced greetings didn't mean they were cold; it meant they respected each other's transition from the private world to the professional one.
What Actually Happens When We Stop?
People fear that if we stop saying "good morning," society will crumble into a dystopian wasteland of cold glares and silence.
It won't.
What happens is that our interactions become more intentional. Instead of a reflex, a greeting becomes a choice. When you actually have something to say to someone, or when you genuinely want to check in on a friend, you do it with substance. You ask how their kid’s soccer game went. You ask if they managed to get any sleep. You replace a hollow phrase with actual human inquiry.
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The "good morning" habit is a crutch. It allows us to feel like we’ve "socialized" without actually having to engage. It’s the "thoughts and prayers" of the 9-to-5 world.
Reclaiming Your Morning Energy
Think about your own morning routine. Most of us are protective of our peace in the early hours. We listen to podcasts, we drink our tea in silence, we try to center ourselves before the world starts making demands. Why, the moment we encounter another human, do we feel the need to shatter that peace with a script?
There is power in silence. There is power in a simple nod of acknowledgment that says, "I see you, I recognize you’re a human, and I’m going to let you exist in peace without forcing you into a conversation."
Practical Alternatives to the "Good Morning" Routine
If you’re ready to drop the act, or at least scale it back, you don't have to be a hermit. You just have to be smarter about how you engage.
- The "Slow Burn" Approach: Don't feel the need to greet the entire room the second you walk in. Settle in. Let people wake up. If you cross paths with someone later, a simple "Hey, how’s your day going so far?" is much more grounded in reality.
- Digital Boundaries: In professional chats, skip the "GM" posts. If you have a question, just ask it. "Hey [Name], do you have the link to that folder?" is much more respectful of their time than "Good morning!" followed by five minutes of waiting for them to type "Good morning" back before you ask your question.
- The Silent Acknowledgment: A small wave or a nod goes a long way. It’s non-intrusive. It’s respectful. It’s the "I see you" without the "Talk to me."
- Specificity over Generics: If you must speak, make it count. Mention something specific to that person. "I love that sweater" or "Good luck with that meeting later" shows you actually see the person, not just a body in a chair.
We are obsessed with "optimization" in every other part of our lives. We optimize our diets, our sleep, our workouts, and our workflows. Why haven't we optimized our social interactions? Holding onto the "good morning" ritual is like holding onto a rotary phone in the age of the smartphone. It’s a relic. It’s clunky. It doesn't do the job it was intended to do.
The Cultural Counter-Argument
Of course, some people will tell you that greetings are the "glue" of society. They’ll point to studies about how micro-interactions with strangers can boost mood. And they aren't entirely wrong. But those studies usually focus on meaningful micro-interactions—a genuine smile from a barista or a brief laugh with someone at a bus stop.
The "Good morning" we’re talking about isn't that. It’s the obligatory, low-energy mumble in the elevator. It’s the Slack message that exists only to show your manager you’re online. That’s not glue; that’s just sticky residue.
If we want the benefits of social connection, we have to actually connect.
Actionable Steps for a More Authentic Start
- Audit your "GMs": For one week, pay attention to how many times you say "good morning" out of habit versus out of a genuine desire to wish someone well. You might be surprised.
- The "One-Word" Test: Try replacing "Good morning" with just "Morning" or "Hey." Notice how it changes the energy. "Good morning" is a wish; "Morning" is a statement of fact. It’s often more honest.
- Focus on the Afternoon: Studies on circadian rhythms suggest most people are more socially "ready" in the afternoon. Shift your social energy there. Be the person who asks how the day is going, rather than the one who predicts how it will go.
- Respect the Headphones: If someone has headphones in, saying "good morning" isn't polite; it’s an intrusion. Let them have their space.
Ultimately, we have to ask ourselves what we’re trying to achieve. If the goal is to be a "polite" person, then keep saying it. But if the goal is to build a life and a career based on authenticity, focus, and genuine connection, then it's time to admit that there's no point in saying good morning just for the sake of saying it.
Stop the script. Start being real. If the morning is actually good, you won't need to say it—everyone will already know. If it's not, no amount of wishing is going to change the clock. Save your breath for the conversations that actually matter.
Instead of a hollow greeting, try starting your next interaction with a question that requires a real answer, or better yet, a piece of information that actually helps someone do their job. You'll find that people appreciate the honesty and the respect for their time much more than a mandatory "good" that nobody actually feels.