Tea is an important part of many cultures around the world. Tea is one of the most commonly drunk beverages in the world and it means so many different things to so many different people. In the UK for example, despite its foreign origins, tea is considered to be a key part of the British cultural identity, and, over the years, drinking tea has become almost synonymous with the image of a British person. Many avid tea drinkers often associate tea with comfort. Researchers in the US attribute this to social thermoregulation. In this post, we explore the theory of social thermoregulation and how a cup of tea can help people feel less lonely.
The theory of social thermoregulation states that people can get warm by getting close to something or someone else. Animals have been using social thermoregulation for many years, most notably penguins, which huddle together to get warm in cold climates. Social thermoregulation not only helps people get warmer but can also have several other effects that researchers have been exploring over the years.
One of the key things that researchers believe is that social thermoregulation forms a fundamental part of how humans develop relationships with others. There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that social thermoregulation can affect how we see and feel about other people as well as our ability to regulate our emotions (1). One study showed that participants who held a warm object were more likely to have positive impressions of others and do more altruistic things such as buying a gift for a friend rather than themselves (2). This might help explain why many people feel happier in warmer climates and why braving the cost of living in London feels much more worth it in the summer.
This also works the opposite way – positive relationships with other people can help us feel physically warmer. Some research suggests that people with a lot of close friends generally experience higher core body temperatures and so tend to feel warmer (3). In contrast, when people experience social exclusion/isolation, their body temperature drops, and they feel colder (4). In the same study, researchers found that when people are given a cup of warm tea to hold after experiencing social exclusion, they feel better, closer to others, and less lonely (4,5).
The social thermoregulation phenomenon may have evolved from the way that humans bond with their parents in infancy. In early attachment studies, researchers found that babies between 8- and 16-weeks old experience a drop in body temperature when they are with strangers and/or separated from their parents. This suggests that from a young age, humans learn to associate being warm with being close to people who care for them. Researchers believe that this idea stays with us as we grow, resulting in adults linking physical warmth, such as holding a warm cup of tea, with social connection and helping us feel less alone.
There are a lot of ways that humans can experience physical warmth such as wearing more layers, heaters, or hot water bottles. You may be wondering if using these other methods to get warm has the same effect. Or is there something specific about tea that helps people feel more connected? Unfortunately, the science behind how social thermoregulation in humans affects social connections is still relatively new so research hasn’t gotten around to exploring that just yet. However, the cultural origins of tea might offer some insight. In many Asian cultures, tea is offered to others to welcome guests, strengthen community bonds, and promote goodwill. Traditionally, tea is enjoyed with other people and that may have influenced people to associate the warmth of tea, in particular, with positive relationships and social connectivity.
In conclusion, drinking or even just holding a cup of tea, can help alleviate loneliness and help people feel closer to others through the theory of social thermoregulation. Physical warmth can help us to think more positively about the people around us. The cultural background of tea may also play a role in this. There’s still some research to be done on how different sources of physical warmth affect our social cognition, which is good news for those of you who don’t like tea. Until then, next time you’re feeling a little lonely, try simply holding a warm cup of tea. I hope it helps 😊.
By Esther Ansah, Blog Writer
References
1. Bargh JA, Shalev I. The Substitutability of Physical and Social Warmth in Daily Life. Emotion [Internet]. 2011 Feb;12(1):154.
2. Williams LE, Bargh JA. Experiencing physical warmth promotes interpersonal warmth. Science (1979). 2008 Oct 24;322(5901):606–7.
3. Ijzerman H, Lindenberg S, Dalğar İ, Weissgerber SSC, Vergara RC, Cairo AH, et al. The Human Penguin Project: Climate, Social Integration, and Core Body Temperature. Collabra Psychol. 2018 Jan 1;4(1).
4. IJzerman H, Gallucci M, Pouw WTJL, Weibgerber SC, Van Doesum NJ, Williams KD. Cold-blooded loneliness: Social exclusion leads to lower skin temperatures. Acta Psychol (Amst). 2012 Jul 1;140(3):283–8.
5. Inagaki TK, Ross LP. A body-to-mind perspective on social connection: Physical warmth potentiates brain activity to close others and subsequent feelings of social connection. Emotion. 2021 Jun 1;21(4):812–22.
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