Why Drinking Hot Chocolate Can Make You Nicer

Nothing beats good company, great conversation and a hot cup of cocoa- all while you are curled up indoors- on a blisteringly cold winter’s evening. The warmth exuding from cup, conversation and company make even the harshest of times so much easier and enjoyable. But that’s just me and my personal fancies- right? Turns out no! It seems science agrees with me on this point- a simple cup of cocoa can indeed make for much warmer interactions, engagements and experiences.
The secret is not in whether you add a dash of marshmallows to your hot chocolate or not (although some readers would vehemently disagree!). Whether you like your cocoa with cream or without, strong and thick or light and milky, the answer lies in its temperature. Warm drinks make for warmer responses according to a study conducted by the University of Colorado and Yale.
In the study, participants were invited in sets of two to rate a fictional person on personality traits. On the way to the testing room, each pair was received in the lobby and one was handed a warm cup of coffee while the other an iced cold coffee. Researchers consistently observed that the participant holding a warm cup of coffee tended to view the test subject as a warmer person, while the participant sipping on cold coffee was slower to ‘warm up’ to him/her. They noted that it was much easier for a participant to pick traits like trustworthy, humane and friendly with a cup of warm coffee than a cold one in their hands.