Have you ever
noticed a difference in the way you interact with people when holding a cup of
coffee, as opposed to an iced beverage? Or rather, your ability to relate to
people on a warm summer day as opposed to a cold, winter one? A recent study by
Janina Steinmetz and Thomas Mussweiler addressed how physical warmth shapes
social comparison consequences. So what
exactly does this mean to the mainstream folk lending 5 minutes to an online
blog entry? Well, for one thing, these researchers are exploring how physical
context features (temperature outside) shape social information
processing. In previous studies, it has
already been acknowledged that physical warmth fosters ‘prosocial’ behavior and
perception of social proximity. So, in
other words, when exposed to a relatively warm room or when laying out on a
warm spring day, we are more likely to be courteous to others, caring,
cooperative, and helpful. With respect
to our perceptive skills, if it is relatively warm out, we are more apt to
sense people as being closer to us in proximity and feel more inclusive with
them. Conversely, and quite
interestingly, if we are socially excluded from a group, we will estimate the
temperature of a room to be lower than it actually is AND we will have a
preference for warm beverages. Pretty freaky.
And the research goes farther… as the experience of physical warmth
fosters the perception of social proximity, it also taps into our perceptions
of interpersonal similarity, such that when “participants see themselves as
more similar to another person, they experience the ambient temperature as
higher” (Steinmetz, 2011). The situation
here presents a perceived link between social similarity and physical
temperature. You may ask, why is this important? Well, a link of this sort
could indicate that our perceptions of others could fluctuate based on the
temperature outside. And further, if the
weather is impacting our self-perceptions and ability to relate to others and
similar objects, these findings are useful for drawing a link between the
environment and behavior.
Steinmetz and
Mussweiler conducted a series of 3 studies to assess similarity perception,
self-perception under certain temperatures, and social comparison under both
hot and cold temperatures. What’s most
important to grasp from these studies is that:
1.
Physical warmth fosters similarity perception.
2.
Under warmer temperatures, participants
evaluated themselves as stronger when confronted with a strong rather than a
weak standard (think of themselves as physically stronger under warmer temps).
3.
Under colder temperatures, the assimilation
effect didn’t emerge – rather, participants judged themselves similar after
comparison with the strong and the weak standard (so, if its cold, you will
judge yourself equally under strong and weak comparisons).
It is interesting that warmer
temperatures have a stronger, significant effect on our social perception,
specifically degree of similarity to something or someone BUT colder
temperatures fail to produce the same effect.
Although I mentioned above that if we are being socially excluded, we
may prefer a warm beverage or estimate the room temperature to be lower than it
actually is, there are no findings that suggest I will be less likely to relate
myself to someone or some object.
The
implications of this research is sending a message to the public: don’t be fooled because of the temperature à
when you experience higher temperatures, you may be more prone to think that
you are more similar to the people around you than you really are! Conclusively
– MOTHER NATURE IS DECEIVING US and she comes with a warning label: our ability
to relate to others and objects under warmer temperatures is biased. How can this information be utilized?
Well, I could suggest that companies should make sure the thermostat of a room
is set to a neutral temperature for a job interview – if it’s too high, they
could view the candidates with a bias of being more similar to them than they
actually are. Additionally, if important
events or conferences are taking place in warm environments, judgment and
self-perception of the audience will be skewed.
So, although fun in the sun may be a great confidence booster, keep in
mind, your self-perception and ability to relate to others in terms of social
similarity is biased!
Courtney Gregor
Steinmetz, J., & Mussweiler, T. (2011). Breaking the
ice: How physical warmth shapes social comparison consequences. Journal of
Experimental Social Psychology, 47, 1025-1028.
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