Story at a glance
- New research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggests randomly reaching out to a friend is far more beneficial than one might realize.
- Researchers conducted a series of experiments to measure the impact when one contacts a friend.
- The team found across multiple experiments that the person on the receiving end of a call or email found it more meaningful than the person initiating the contact originally thought it would be.
Friends really appreciate an unexpected connection. But the more surprising a call or text might be, the more meaningful it is.
New research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology — involving about 5,900 people — suggests randomly reaching out to a friend is far more beneficial than one might realize.
“People are fundamentally social beings and enjoy connecting with others,” said lead author Peggy Liu of the University of Pittsburgh. “There is much research showing that maintaining social connections is good for our mental and physical health.
“However, despite the importance and enjoyment of social connection, our research suggests that people significantly underestimate how much others will appreciate being reached out to,” Liu added.
Researchers conducted a series of experiments to measure the impact when one contacts a friend. One experiment in the study asked participants to rate on a scale of 1 to 7 an experience where they were reached out to or were contacted by a friend.
The team found across multiple experiments that the person on the receiving end of a call or email found it more meaningful than the person initiating the contact originally thought it would be.
“We found that people receiving the communication placed greater focus than those initiating the communication on the surprise element, and this heightened focus on surprise was associated with higher appreciation,” Liu said.
“We also found that people underestimated others’ appreciation to a greater extent when the communication was more surprising, as opposed to part of a regular communication pattern, or the social ties between the two participants were weak.”
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Separate research measuring the impact of positive social interactions found it is especially important to sense of purpose among older, retired adults.
For a small study published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, researchers worked with close to 100 adults with an average age of around 71.
Participants were asked three times each day to rate their social interactions, and each evening they were asked to rate their overall interactions based on the question: “How much do you think your life had a purpose today?”
Researchers found that the more positive social interactions a person had during the day, the more purposeful they felt in the evening.
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