Are we getting ruder? How to be kinder in everyday life — and break the contagion of rage

Slow down, take a deep breath, maybe even let the other car take the parking spot. In the face of rudeness, sometimes the most radical thing to do is remain passively polite

Rage against the machine: At the cinema, you grit your teeth while people around you light up their phones to send texts, put their feet on seats, and talk throughout the movie.

Think of a typical day in our angry world. You open social media and read abuse, either of you or of someone else. 

Then, you get in your car and are aggressively overtaken while driving at the speed limit. You pull into a shopping mall car park, where another driver executes a fast three-point turn to take your space, and then shouts a stream of abuse when you honk.