The Science of Uncomfortable Social Interactions

Introduction

• Key Question: Why are we the most nice and generic when we feel anxious and uncomfortable?
• Field: Social psychology, studying uncomfortable social interactions for over 20 years.
• Contexts Studied: New roommate relationships, negotiations, upward feedback, doctor-patient interactions.
• Research Focus:
  • Verbal Responses: Friendly behavior, compliments, gracious feedback.
  • Nonverbal Behaviors: Fidgeting, avoiding eye contact, tone of voice.
  • Physiology: Cardiovascular reactivity, blood pressure, heart rate.

Methodology

• Participants: Interact in lab setting under different contexts (negotiation, getting acquainted, giving feedback).
• Measurements:
  • Using equipment to measure physiological responses.
  • Videotaping interactions to capture nonverbal behaviors.

The Nature of Awkward Interactions

• Initial Reactions: Heart rate and blood pressure increase within first 20 seconds.
• Nonverbal Responses: Fidgeting, avoiding eye contact, creating physical distance.
• Doctor-Patient Interactions: Uncomfortable doctors avoid eye contact.
• Cultural Context: People lack social scripts and default to niceness to manage anxiety.

Case Study: Negotiations

• Setup: Winners asked to give feedback to losers.
• Outcome: Winners gave overly positive and non-helpful feedback to losers.
• Pattern: Compliments and