Halifax man opens door for people in social experiment: 99 of 100 say ‘thanks’

While not scientific, a social experiment done this month in the Halifax area is adding more weight to the stereotype that Canadians are notably polite.

A member of the Halifax company Gratitude At Work held the door for people on the peninsula and Dartmouth and recorded the responses in a video released last week.

Of the 100 people he held doors for, 99 said “thank you.”

The experiment was done one morning earlier in August in two coffee shops, two office buildings, and two malls. The door was opened for about 15-20 people at each location.

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“We didn’t think it was going to be that high. We knew that we lived in a grateful community, in a grateful place, we just didn’t know that it was that good,” said the experiment’s door holder, Steve Foran.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We didn't think it was going to be that high. We knew that we lived in a grateful community, in a grateful place, we just didn't know that it was that good," said the experiment's door holder, Steve Foran.

Foran calls himself the “grateful CEO” at Gratitude At Work — a company that provides training and consulting for building “growth-minded” workplace cultures.

READ MORE: Study shows Canadians are more polite than Americans on Twitter

The company aims to promote that growth-mindedness in workplaces in Halifax, with gratitude being the key component. When the question of how grateful people in the area really are came up, the idea for the experiment was born.

“We’re close-knit communities in Nova Scotia, and we bring our children up to make people feel safe and comfortable,” said Florence Sassine, the former chief of protocol of Nova Scotia.

In a country as diverse as Canada, courtesy is something everyone can share, she added.

“You can almost understand it, even if someone is using a different language — if they say ‘thank you,’ it’s the manner, it’s the way they smile at you. It’s really wonderful to be in that type of atmosphere.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "You can almost understand it, even if someone is using a different language — if they say 'thank you,' it's the manner, it's the way they smile at you. It's really wonderful to be in that type of atmosphere."

Since posted on Facebook last Thursday, the video has been viewed more than 110,000 times.

READ MORE: Canada is the 6th happiest country on the planet

Foran didn’t reveal which community the person who didn’t say ‘thanks’ came from, but did presume they were having a bad day.

“On any given day, that could be me, that could be you … and I would just hope that when it’s me, that I’m afforded the slack,” he said.