On a recent trip, a man sitting near me at the airport conducted a very loud conversation on his phone. What can I do about such rude behavior? Sit in front of him and glare? Ask the airport staffers to intercede? Start my own loud phone conversation? —Jim, Atlanta

I just had the same experience—as did 4 million of our fellow travelers, but fighting fire with fire gets awfully toasty. Walk up to the man, interrupt him with a smile, and say: “We can all hear your conversation. Can you be quieter, please?” Most of the time he will. If he won’t, just move. The resulting spike in your blood pressure is not worth it. 

—Adapted from ‘Social Q’s’ in The New York Times