Shared experiences are more intense

Just one good friend can be enough to help teenagers from tough backgrounds overcome their problems, say psychologists.

Just one good friend can be enough to help teenagers from tough backgrounds overcome their problems, say psychologists.

Published Oct 10, 2014

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London - Sharing an experience – good or bad – makes it more intense, a study suggests.

Even if it is shared in silence and with someone we met moments before, it is still intensified, according to US researchers.

The study at Yale University showed that people who shared experiences rated them as more pleasant or unpleasant than those who underwent the experience on their own.

Participants were given chocolate and a sour-tasting chocolate substitute. The subjects reported feeling more absorbed in the tasting experience and more in tune with the other participant when they tasted the chocolates at the same time.

The study, published in the journal Psychological Science, suggests that sharing an experience with someone else may focus our attention.

The findings may have implications for social life in a world where people regularly use their mobile phones in company.

“We are unsharing experiences with the people around us,” said lead researcher Erica Boothby. “A pleasant experience that goes unshared is a missed opportunity.” - Daily Mail

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