Video

A Surprisingly Sweet Stunt on the New York Subway

For the cold-hearted Valentine.

Your feelings about Valentine’s Day likely have to do with where on the love-having spectrum you currently reside.  If you’re in love, then it’s a day to spend a particularly romantic evening with your significant other (or to plan an overlong, expensive night out—your call!). If you’re not in love—or worse, experienced recent heartbreak—then Valentine’s Day is essentially a 24-hour reminder of the cruel and dark world we inhabit.

Or maybe it doesn’t affect you at all. Who knows how cold your heart is, really.

Either way, one thing that we can all (probably) agree on is that, sometimes, a little love goes a long way. For proof, look no further than the video above. Using the most cynical, emotionally shut-off demographic on the planet—New Yorkers riding the subway (and I’d know, I am one)—creator Nick Smatt set out to prove that “it’s not who you love, it’s that you love.”

“What’s universal,” Smatt told Slate, “is the need to give and receive love, and I think that can be done even with a stranger on a subway.”

If we’re being honest, this sounded a tad sentimental, especially if you’ve ever ridden an express train during rush hour. But then I watched the video—I won’t spoil the conceit—and saw New Yorkers actually smile at one another on their morning commute. And if that’s possible, then, really, anything is possible. See for yourself above.