Dartmouth College recently conducted a study revealing the reason behind some of the connections formed by people. The study authors obtained findings on why certain people get along while others can’t see eye to eye. When two individuals “click,” certain factors such as the response times happen faster than in ordinary situations.
Emma Templeton, one of the leading authors, stated that they were curious to find the reason as to why they didn’t get along with some people. Templeton revealed that the rate at which individuals respond to each other increases the amount of connection between them.
How the study authors conducted their research
The study authors focused on a target group of 66 participants and carried out three experiments to reveal how fast they responded to each other. The first experiment focused on the response time and social relationship between two individuals that didn’t know each other. As a necessity of the experiment, the respondents took part in ten conversations with people from a similar gender.
The study authors then requested the respondents to return with one of their close friends to gauge their response time. Finally, during the last experiment, the respondents viewed a recording of other respondents’ conversations. The goal was to observe if the Respondent would find the conversation interesting or notice any conversation cues.
In the first experiment, respondents viewed their performance during the conversation while evaluating their connection with the stranger. During the second experiment, the respondents preferred the conversation with their friends more than the strangers. Finally, while reviewing the clips in the third experiment, several participants admitted that the speakers connected efficiently.
People who finish their partner’s sentences have higher connections
Thalia Wheatley, one of the study authors, stated that the field requires more studies, as the team was the first to make the connection. Wheatley also revealed that in each conversation, there exist several gaps. However, most individuals finish their partner’s sentences, thus limiting the gap and increasing the amount of clicking. The authors concluded the study with a distinctive argument that the response durations identify the moments of a strong connection.
