Holding a warm drink causes people to perceive others as more friendly or warm.
NOT BSTOTAL BS
MOSTLY BS — Verdict: Mostly False
Verified by Lenz ·
The Short Version
This popular psychology claim rests primarily on a single 2008 study that has not reliably replicated. A more rigorous replication attempt (Chabris et al., 2019) found no evidence for the effect, and methodological critiques highlight the original study's small sample size and borderline statistical significance. Most sources cited in support are press coverage or educational summaries of that same 2008 finding — not independent confirmations. Presenting this as an established causal relationship omits critical scientific debate.
Caveats
The original Williams & Bargh (2008) study has faced a notable replication failure using more rigorous methods (Chabris et al., 2019), casting doubt on the reliability of the effect.
Most sources appearing to support the claim are press releases, media articles, or educational summaries of the same single study — not independent empirical replications.
The original study used small samples and produced borderline-significant results, which increases the risk that the finding was a statistical artifact rather than a real effect.