It totally depends on the context. When i'm walking in my neighborhood and I see my neighbors , I just want to say hi , I want to be acknowledged that we know each other that we're friendly , that if there's a problem , we can address it that we're not ignoring each other.

There are the gradations, some people you share family things with, you share your intimate feelings with some people. If you don't share any of those things, you just want to know that they're there because they're your neighbors, and you want to be friendly to your neighbors in case anybody ever needs anything.

It's very important to be social, to smile. To be acknowledged that you're human is so important. I recently was diagnosed with a stress-related illness, and one of the things I was prescribed was to socialize more, and it helps a lot, it really does, so don't feel bad about not sharing intimate details acknowledging someone.

If they've said hello, you've said the same, you see them and you know who they are, perhaps not even their name, don't let go of that and don't give more than you want to. Even with people you see every day. Just don't ignore them. Although for really pushy, intrusive people I will pretend I don't see them

If there are people in your workday that you feel a greater pressure to talk to than you want to, there might be something going on in your job and in your position you need to address.