Giving a stranger a smile pays off

阿邱

Scientists have revealed that flashing a stranger a coy smile or even just making eye contact can have a huge impact on their feelings, the Daily Mail reported.
Researchers have conducted tests on hundreds of students to find out how tiny gestures can affect people -- and found how even the smallest amount of eye contact made them feel connected to others.
"Ostracism is painful," said chief researcher Eric Wesselmann, a social psychologist at Purdue University.
The team hopes the results can help explain why people often feel lonely in large cities where people rarely make eye contact.
据英国《每日邮报》报道，科学家发现，对陌生人施以微笑，或仅仅来个眼神交流，都会给对方带来巨大的感情冲击。研究人员对数百名学生进行测验后发现，细微的手势，甚至是微妙的眼神交流，都会使对方感觉有亲近感。美国普渡大学社会心理学家、该研究带头人埃里克·韦塞尔曼说：“被孤立是很痛苦的。” 大城市的市民很少进行眼神交流，该团队希望他们的研究成果有助于解释人们孤独的原因。