Why a hot cuppa can clinch a deal
Whether you’re trying to impress a potential new client or simply need a favour from a friend, offering them a steaming cup of tea or coffee may help you gain that essential edge.
It seems there’s far more to our favourite beverages than meets the taste buds. According to researchers at Yale University, people are more trusting, and therefore more likely to respond positively to requests, when their hands are warm. In fact, we’re programmed to seek warmth, so a piping hot brew invokes positive reactions in the brain.
Volunteers took part in a psychological study to find out how trusting they were of others. Before the test, some participants were given something hot to hold and this group proved to be more open.
As quoted in the Daily Mail, Professor John Bargh explained: “Our interpretation is that cold activates insula (a region in the brain which relates to temperature and trust). Activation spreads into areas influencing subsequent trust decisions. Coldness may prime individuals to be less risk-seeking during ensuing decision making.”
Professor Bargh believes the study provides compelling support for the view that temperature affects our tendency to trust. “We have demonstrated that brief experiences with cold or warm objects can influence people’s social judgements and behaviour without their awareness.”
According to the Social Cognitive and Effective Neuroscience journal, physical warmth may unconsciously “prime the brain into feeling more positive about other people and more likely to give them a chance.”
So, if you’re expecting a visit from that new business contact or want to borrow a fiver from your mate, put the kettle on first!
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