Offering condolences or giving praise are examples of activities that take us little effort but have a disproportionate impact on somebody's day.

We hesitate—it may feel awkward, or we can't think of the right words, or we may not think our words will mean that much, particularly if the potential recipient isn't somebody close to us.

And yet, these words can make someone's day. Malcolm Gladwell spoke of a conscious effort to be more public with his praise. He started making a point of telling the world about his five favourite writers, those who have heavily influenced his work. After a period of time with this routine, he received a handwritten note from Janet Malcolm, one of those he had been effusive about in his interviews, expressing her delight.

The much missed Christopher Hitchens in one of his last interviews:

I'll say this much, I've been encouraged in the last few months by some extraordinarily generous letters, including, these are the ones I take most to heart, from people I've never met or don't know. If they say that what I've written or done or said means anything to them, then I'm happy to take it at face value, for once. I'll say, “I'll take that.” And yes, it cheers me up. And I hope it isn't written with the intention of doing so. Though I must allow for it possibly being for that reason. But in case you are watching this, anybody, and you ever wonder whether to write to anyone, always do, because you'd be surprised by how much of a difference it can make.

I regret, here's a regret, I regret not doing it more often myself.

A small amount of your time can have a huge impact on somebody else's happiness. It's always worth making the effort.