Ivan Radic / CC
Is there an old friend you haven’t talked to in a while? If so, reach out to them. A new study found they’ll appreciate it more than you think. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh talked to thousands of people, and had them do one of two things.
One group had to think about the last time they reached out to an old friend “just because,” and how much they THOUGHT the friend appreciated it. The second group had to think about the last time an old friend reached out to THEM. The point was to compare the reaction we expect, and the response it actually gets. And it turns out we wildly underestimate how much it’s appreciated.
Most people didn’t expect a big reaction. But the ones on the receiving end were always VERY happy to get the call. And the same applied for texts and emails.
They also tested it by having people send actual gifts, and they got the same result. Once again, they underestimated how much it would mean to the person.
The longer it’s been, the better. They found that the SURPRISE element was a huge factor.
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