Replication of Bargh and Shalev (2012) Conducted at Michigan State, Fall 2013 - Spring 2014

Bargh and Shalev (2012) hypothesized that experiencing physical coldness will lead individuals to report greater loneliness than if they experienced physical warmth. In their study 2, they conducted an experiment in which they showed that participants who held a cold pack reported higher trait loneliness (as measured by a short form of the UCLA Loneliness Scale; Russell, 1996) than participants in the warm condition. We attempted to replicate this potentially practically important finding in a high-powered study (N = 260). We also assessed the Big Five personality traits to determine if warmth or coldness might lead to changes in self-reported personality traits (particularly agreeableness). Our results showed that holding a hand warmer or cold pack for one minute had no effect on trait loneliness in our study, with an effect size of essentially zero. The effect remained non-significant after excluding participants who reported any suspicion about the connection between the warmth-coldness manipulation and the measure of loneliness. There were also no effects of the cold (vs. warm) packs on personality traits. The question of the potential connection between physical warmth or coldness and loneliness warrants further research before it can be accepted.