How Unconscious Processing Affects Relationships
by When we meet people, we think we evaluate them according to our likes and dislikes. However, there are process of which we are totally unaware that govern our deepest drives…
Bargh and Acme Labs
Is it possible to affect the way people assess us? Yes – according to cutting-edge psychological research carried out by John Bargh at Yale University (http://pantheon.yale.edu/~jab257/home.html). He carried out a ground-breaking experiment showing how we can be unconsciously primed to like or dislike a new acquaintance. Recently covered by the BBC, the experiment involved participants who were asked to come to Bargh’s offices to fill in a questionnaire. They were met on the ground floor of the building by an associate who was carrying a folder of papers in one hand, and a drink (either coffee or a cold drink) in the other. He would greet the participants and usher them into the lift to go up to Bargh’s office. On the way up he would fill in details on a form and ask them to hold the cup while he did so.
They either held a warm drink, or a cold one. On arrival they were met by another associate who greeted them, asked them some questions about their journey, and took them to the room where they filled in the questionnaire. They were then asked to rate this associate for friendliness and asked if they would employ him as project manager if they were in charge of a major building project. Bearing in mind that the only difference was in the temperature of the drinks they held in the lift, the results were surprising.
Those who had held the warm drink rated the person as friendly and approachable and would offer him the job. Those who had held the cold drink rated him as cold, unapproachable and would not employ him. Bargh’s website has a number of other experiments in priming which seem to show how our assessments of other people can be manipulated, and how our behaviour can change as a result.
What Should We Do?
Next time you meet someone and either instinctively like or dislike them, take some time to actually talk to them and try to put your finger on what has caused your gut reaction. You may be pleasantly surprised!
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