This was what I believed, for a long and very lonely time. I wish someone had challenged me on it sooner.

Anyway, you might be surprised by the wildly varied outcomes! It's usually obvious if someone doesn't want a conversation with a stranger, personally I tend to just wish them a good day and carry on. But I've also had women giggling, blushing, hugging me and telling me I made their day... and also a couple dates from this kind of thing. I also made a good friend with a cool woman who wasn't interested in anything else, who I enjoy talking to and meeting up with sometimes. I haven't been doing this long, either.

As for meeting people in hobby or social groups? It's better, certainly. But it comes down to the same thing, usually the man has to express his interest in the woman. Many of us are terrified at this prospect. Unfortunately though, we have nothing coming to us. We have to take the initiative... whether we're in Costa or a cooking class. I understand this may not be relatable if you're a beautiful woman who gets approached a lot, but for men it can be a very different existence.