Washington – Do you really enjoy phone calls from long-lost friends? You are not alone. According to a new study, people often estimate how much their former friends will receive the heavenly call.
Researchers who repeatedly called, texted, or emailed to greet someone in their social circle repeatedly showed how valuable their friend was to hear from them. Meanwhile, the friend who received the message valued the wonderful social interaction.
“People are basically social beings and enjoy interacting with others,” says Peggy Liu PhD, president of the University of Pittsburgh. Media release. “There are many studies that show this. Maintaining social relationships It is good for our mental and physical health. However, despite the importance and joy of social networking, our research shows that people underestimate how much they appreciate helping others. ”
Friends love when you call ’cause’
The study looked at a number of experiments involving more than 5,900 people, looking at the extent to which there are causes. The admiration one feels When others meet them.
In one experiment, the authors asked half of the participants to recall the last time they met someone “for this reason” or “to catch” after not talking to someone for a long time. The rest of the group took the opposite approach, remembering when A long-lost friend He reached them.
The two groups should have a seven-point scale (1 meaning “absolutely” and 7 “high”) to rate how much the person who receives this relationship appreciates, praises, praises or enjoys. Message. For those who are making the call, this means imagining how much their friend enjoys hearing from them. For those who accept the invitation, they should simply rate how much they appreciate listening to their longtime friend.
The results show that when people compare the two groups, they lose their friend’s appreciation.
People are incredibly happy
In a separate experiment, the participants a A brief note or a small gift To someone you haven’t seen in a while. As in the previous experiment, the team had to weigh seven points, thinking that their friend would appreciate this amazing thing.
After the participants sent their notes and gifts, the group asked the recipients to evaluate how much they appreciated receiving gifts from their former friend. Again, the person who received the gift valued the contact more than the person who sent the gift.
“We find that people who accept the relationship pay more attention to the person who started the relationship, and that this high level of attention is associated with greater appreciation,” Liu added. “Also, when the relationship is more dramatic, people are less likely to appreciate it Standard communication designOr the relationship between the two participants was weak.
Do not let the plague stop on your way
Researchers say that in recent years more and more people are losing contact with members of their social circle. Apart from people who go to high school or college together, the flu has increased. Social exclusion layer For some.
Moreover, the group understands how people are often worried about how a person will arrive later Long period of silence. Interestingly, however, the new study is more about “peace” than most people think.
“Sometimes I stop before I meet people for various reasons at the social club I was in before the epidemic. At the same time, I think about these research findings and remind myself that other people might be too. They want to find me And hesitation for the same reasons, ”Liu concludes. “Then I tell myself that I would appreciate it if they came to me and that there is no reason why they should not appreciate my coming in the same way.”
The study was published in Journal of Personal and Social Psychology.