Holding hot coffee is sure to warm hands and now research shows it may warm hearts.

In a current issue of Science magazine, Yale University scientists conducted two studies illustrating how people's experience with physical temperature can impact their judgments or actions that relate to interpersonal and psychological warmth or coldness, a co-author of the study said.

Jacquelyn Miliziano (junior-marketing) was sitting down for a hot coffee with a friend at Dunkin' Donuts, 200 W. College Ave, as flurries fell in State College last week.

"It does sometimes feel better when I'm drinking something hot," Miliziano said. "But I don't think I look at someone drinking a cold coffee and think, 'Oh, they're mean,' or anything."

John Bargh, a professor of psychology at Yale University, and Lawrence Williams, who received his Ph. D. from Yale and is currently an assistant marketing professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, conducted the study.

Social psychologists already note warmth as an important concept in areas like development, so looking for a relationship there seemed natural, he said.

From fall 2006 to winter 2007, the duo studied if physical temperature had an effect on interpersonal warmth or coldness.

In the study, the scientists recruited 41 college students and told them they were participating in personality research -- it was important participants were not aware of what they scientists were studying, Williams said.

A research assistant then took each participant up an elevator and casually asked them to hold a cup of coffee -- either hot or iced -- so she could write information on a clipboard, Williams said.

The only difference between participants was what they held on the elevator, Williams said.

Students were then asked to fill out questionnaires. One question asked participants to evaluate a hypothetical "Person A," he said, who was described in neutral words like industrious, cautious and determined. Williams said students were then asked to rate the person's presumed personality traits.

"Those who held the hot coffee for just that short period of time found 'Person A' as being a warmer person, in that they were more generous, more sociable and good-natured," Williams said, adding those who held the iced drinks associated the person with more cold traits.

Bargh and Williams also looked at ratings of honesty, attractiveness or strength -- traits not associated with warm or cold personalities, but there was no differences between the hot or cold groups, Williams said.

Stephanie Croce (senior-economics) while sitting in Otto's Café in the Kern Building drinking hot coffee, said she sees the validity of the study because a hot drink warms people inside, "so you may end up thinking 'Ah the world is wonderful."

"Maybe if you drink something hot you won't immediately judge or think the worst of people because you are feeling good," she said.

The second study, which ran during summer 2008, built on the physical-psychological relationship, but asked a new question: Will the same attitudes play out for a person's own actions and behavior?

In this study, 53 different students had to hold a heated or frozen pad -- like one from a drugstore -- and were told they were rating the product for a consumer report, Williams said.

As a thank you, participants were offered a Snapple drink or ice cream gift certificate, Williams said, and whatever they chose was a treat for themselves or a friend.

"We weren't really interested in what they chose," Williams said about the experiment.

The researchers were interested in whether the participant elected to give their reward to a friend or keep it for themselves, he said.

Results were consistent with the first study: students who held the hot pad more likely chose to give away their reward, a "warm" behavior, and students who held the cold one more likely kept it for themselves, a "cold" behavior, Williams said.

"Maybe when I'm giving out hot drinks I am 'warmer' toward people," said Alyssa Holgate, student manager of Sisu in Waring Commons, after a rush of both hot and cold drink orders. "But I don't really know. I never really thought about it."

Jillian Vanderpool (freshman-hotel restaurant and institutional management) said she thinks the study makes sense.

"I guess if you're standing outside freezing you're more likely to take something for yourself," she said.

Williams said it is something to think about, especially when it comes to taking someone out.

If you are hoping to start a relationship, "It may be better ... if you go out for coffee instead of ice cream," Williams said.