New research shows we are as afraid of reconnecting with old friends as making new ones but we can change this.
But shouldn’t we be more comfortable to connect with old friends?
We would assume so — but if we have lost connection we may be hesitant. Even though research I reported on before showed how positive the effect was:
So what did this study find?
This study by psychologists Lara Aknin of Simon Fraser University in Canada and Gillian Sandstrom of the University of Sussex in England conducted 7 studies into old friendships.
First off they analysed the attitudes of about 2’500 participants in total to old friends. Most had old friendships that had lapsed. But about 70% were hesitant or neutral about getting back in touch with these old friends despite positive memories.
That in itself is surprising.
