Hot temperatures cause warm feelings
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How Temperature Affects Our Feelings: A Simple Experiment
Did you know that the temperature of what you hold in your hand can actually influence your feelings? Researchers at Yale University conducted an interesting experiment to explore this phenomenon.
In the experiment, participants were asked to hold either a hot or iced coffee cup while riding an escalator to a lab. Once there, they were asked to read about a fictional character and share their impressions of them. Surprisingly, those who held the hot drink perceived the characters as warmer and friendlier.
The researchers also investigated whether temperature affects people's behaviour towards others. They had participants hold either a frozen or heated therapeutic pad for a few minutes, and then offered them a drink for themselves or a voucher to give to a friend. Interestingly, those who held the warm pads were more likely to choose the voucher to give to a friend.
These experiments suggest that people tend to be kinder to others when their bodies are warm and less kind when they are cold. So, next time you want to be extra kind to someone, try doing it after holding something warm.
To feel warm, you can try things like taking a hot spring bath, having a hot bath or shower, drinking alcohol, eating spicy food, or working out.
Reference
Williams, L. E., & Bargh, J. A. (2008). Experiencing physical warmth promotes interpersonal warmth. Science, 322(5901), 606–607. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1162548
Coffee girl photo created by tirachardz - www.freepik.com
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