Study Finds Unexpectedly Reaching Out To Friends Is More Appreciated Than We Thought

Have you ever reached out to a friend out of the blue to check in or say hey? Chances are, that act was appreciated by them more than you ever could’ve thought.

A new study found unexpectedly reaching out to friends is more appreciated than the person reaching out realizes.

The study was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology on July 11, 2022, and serves as a good reminder to reach out to your friends, even if you think they won’t care or appreciate the sentiment.

The study found that the more surprising or unexpected the “reaching out” is, the more the recipient tends to appreciate it.

In one of the experiments, participants had to recall the last time they reached out to someone in their social circle “just because” after not interacting with that person for a while. They then had to imagine how much that person they reached out to felt grateful or thankful for the initiation of contact.

A separate group of participants was asked to do the opposite. They had to think of a time someone in their social circle, who they hadn’t talked with in a while, reached out to them unexpectedly and record how grateful they felt for that initiation of contact.

The results? The people who did the reaching out guessed a much lower level of appreciation than the people who had someone reaching out!

A second experiment confirmed the same findings, with people sending a short note to someone in their friend group or social circle. The people who sent the notes underestimated the impact they would have on those who received them.

So, if you’re wondering if you should reach out to a friend you haven’t spoken with in a while, there’s a good chance it’ll be more appreciated than you know!

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