I have heard it mentioned a number of times on various social media, chats or while on Zoom and Google classroom, that the current situation is bringing out both the best and the worst in people.

We hear about NHS, supermarket and other essential staff getting abused by impatient or just grumpy customers.

We also hear about some amazing things that people are doing for each other: neighbours helping each other out and some incredible fundraising efforts, notably Captain Tom, but also hundreds of other individuals doing their bit to help prop up the many charities that are suffering from the lockdown.

It is a shame that the negativity dominates, and according to the research done by John Tierney and Roy Baumeister in their book The Power of Bad it takes at least four times as many positive things to happen in order to outweigh the negative.

Although the title of this book sounds negative, it is actually looking at positive ways to overcome this dominating negative phenomenon and is a very interesting read.

However, while being out and about in my local community, either walking the dog, standing outside clapping the NHS or doing the shopping, which, as we have eight people to feed at the moment, is much more frequent than usual, I have noticed that despite keeping their distance, people generally are much friendlier.

This may be obvious being in a rural setting such as in Somerset and I appreciate that as I have lived in Wells for more than 14 years, am a local teacher and one of the organisers of the Wells Theatre Festival I do know quite a number of people so do engage, from a distance, with a lot of them.

Quite rightly as people pass each other on the street or in a country pathway with or without a dog, one of them will move sideways the required two metres, to get out of the way of the other.

In the pre-lockdown days very often if the passers-by were strangers one or both might bow their heads and move quickly on avoiding eye contact or pretend to be engaged on their phone.

It has been very noticeable to me over the last few weeks that many people are now pausing as they pass and saying "Good morning", "How are you?" or simply "Hello" or perhaps "Thank you", if the person they are speaking to was the one who moved.

Sometimes brief conversations have ensued, from the two-metre distance and when it doesn't cause a pavement block.

It occurred to me this morning, as I was out walking the dog that perhaps this is simply one way of countering the feeling of unfriendliness that comes with purposefully moving away from each other. But it is certainly not a bad thing.

On Thursday evenings, on the street where I live, many of our neighbours, including some I am ashamed to say that I had previously never met, come out onto the pavement in front of their houses to clap.

Some are bringing musical instruments and playing pre-rehearsed songs such as Somewhere over the Rainbow, It's a Wonderful Life and Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. Very topical.

Others may bring something to bang loudly. The atmosphere is really friendly and often once the

clapping and music has stopped, neighbours are waving to each other and shouting goodwill up and down the street.

As I mentioned above this perceptible change in our attitude to each other may be more prevalent in rural communities but hopefully this new sociable behaviour will spread and then continue when things get back to normal. The Power of Good.

By Neil Johnson, Wells resident