Research news: Physical and interpersonal warmth linked

The News:
Physical And Interpersonal Warmth Linked
ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2008) — Do people trust others more when they experience physical warmth? That's the theory of CU-Boulder Assistant Professor Lawrence E. Williams, who says simply handling a hot cup of coffee can change one's attitude toward a stranger.
In a paper published in the Oct. 24 issue of Science, Williams details a study he conducted with Yale University's John A. Bargh that shows a link between the way unsuspecting subjects rated a hypothetical person's personality and whether or not they had held a warm or cold beverage just prior to the test.
"The basic scientific implication is about exploring the link between the physical world and the psychological world," said Williams, an assistant professor of marketing at CU's Leeds School of Business. "It's at the same time subtle and very powerful -- a repeated association of physical warmth that is learned over a lifetime."
Williams asserts that people naturally speak about others being "warm" or "cold," and prefer to spend time with those they perceive as "warm." Read on...

The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science.