Study finds hot drinks make warm friends

William Atkins
Friday, 24 October 2008 20:24

Science - Biology

The researchers published the study’s results in the journal Science.

The lead authors are Dr. John A. Bargh, from the Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, and Dr. Lawrence Williams, from the Leeds School of Business of the University of Colorado at Boulder.

The abstract to their Science magazine paper “Experiencing Physical Warmth Promotes Interpersonal Warmth” states “’Warmth’ is the most powerful personality trait in social judgment, and attachment theorists have stressed the importance of warm physical contact with caregivers during infancy for healthy relationships in adulthood."

"Intriguingly, recent research in humans points to the involvement of the insula in the processing of both physical temperature and interpersonal warmth (trust) information.”

“Accordingly, we hypothesized that experiences of physical warmth (or coldness) would increase feelings of interpersonal warmth (or coldness), without the person's awareness of this influence.”

“In study 1, participants who briefly held a cup of hot (versus iced) coffee judged a target person as having a "warmer" personality (generous, caring); in study 2, participants holding a hot (versus cold) therapeutic pad were more likely to choose a gift for a friend instead of for themselves.”

So, select a hot beverage for warmer relationships!