Lynott, Dermot and Corker, Katherine and Wortman, Jessica and Connell, Louise and Donnellan, M. Brent and Lucas, Richard and O'Brien, Kerry S. (2014) Replication of “Experiencing physical warmth promotes interpersonal warmth” by Williams & Bargh (2008). Social Psychology, 45 (3). pp. 216-222. ISSN 2151-2590
Abstract
We report the results of three high-powered, independent replications of Study 2 from Williams and Bargh (2008). Participants evaluated hot or cold instant therapeutic packs before choosing a reward for participation that was framed as a prosocial (i.e., treat for a friend) or self-interested reward (i.e., treat for the self). Williams and Bargh predicted that evaluating the hot pack would lead to a higher probability of making a prosocial choice compared to evaluating the cold pack. We did not replicate the effect in any individual laboratory or when considering the results of the three replications together (total N = 861). We conclude that there is no evidence that brief exposure to warm therapeutic packs induces greater prosocial responding than exposure to cold therapeutic packs.