It’s time to update the old saying “cold hands, warm heart” with another one “warm hands, warm heart,” as scientists discovered a link between emotional and physical warmth. More exactly, they proved that by warming up your hands, you’re also warming up your heart, consequently making you see people more favorably and brightening your personality at the same time.

The finding is based on the work of Lawrence Williams, PhD., an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and John A. Bargh, PhD., professor of psychology at Yale University who conducted two studies on undergraduates. They were published in the October 24 issue of the journal Science.

The first study involved 41 undergraduates who were given cups of hot coffee to hold as they assessed a stranger’s personality for characteristics such as kindness and generosity. A second group of study participants, holding cups of iced coffee did the same thing. Those holding the hot coffees thought the stranger to be warmer and more generous compared to those holding the iced coffees.

“It appears that the effect of physical temperature is not just on how we see others, it affects our own behavior as well. Physical warmth can make us see others as warmer people, but also cause us to be warmer — more generous and trusting —as well,” said Bargh.

The second study did not involve hot coffee but used hot and cold pads which are specially designed for therapeutic use and a reward of choice. The reward consisted in a gift for a friend or a personal reward. The participants holding the hot pad overwhelmingly chose to keep the reward themselves.

“These very subtle and relatively simple cues are capable of having a meaningful impact on people’s behavior. Simply holding a warm or cold object can influence people's interpersonal judgments and decisions," said researcher Williams. He suggests the relationship between warm thoughts and warm environments is much more than mere coincidence.

The experiments clearly show that mental processes are not separate and detached from the body. In fact, previous research has showed that the same brain region that processes physical temperature changes, called the insula, also processes feelings of trust and empathy associated with social warmth.

What’s the message to take home? Well, next time you have a date and want to make a good impression on him/her, make sure you don’t miss that cup of hot coffee. And of course a warm hug at the end of the evening might guarantee you a second meeting with him/her, as, sometimes, even a big warm hug is enough to make the person next to you feel better about himself /herself or about you. Now that you know all these, all you need is a little bit of luck!