People living in Wisconsin get used to the chilly weather, but we still feel cold no matter how many times we experience harsh winters. According to a 2008 report, “Cold and Lonely” by Chen-Bo Zhong and Geoffrey J. Leonardelli from the University of Toronto, It might be true, though, that feeling cold is enhanced by social exclusion, not the winter chill itself. The report mainly focuses on two experiments; one is about social exclusion makeing people feel colder than they really are. Participants who felt socially excluded gave lower estimates of the room temperature by a median of 2.58 points.
The other experiment showed those who feel socially excluded want warmth, as measured by their preferences for warm foods and drinks. In this experiment, participants are led to believe they were playing a virtual ball-toss game with three other participants that were actually controlled by a computer. There were two groups of participants in the study, those excluded from social interaction and the control group. In the group excluded from social interaction, people received two ball tosses in the beginning but were then excluded from the rest of the throws. This increased the participants desire for warm food and drinks, more so than the control group.
From these experiments, it is clear that those who are socially excluded feel cold and prefer warm food compared to those who are socially included. We live in Wisconsin where people experience one of the coldest winters in the United States. Now is the time for Wisconsinites to get involved in activities that can make one feel included in the community. Connection between people is key for us to feel warm.
Do you think that UW-Madison already provides a sense of belonging for students? According to the UW-Madison Annual Accountability Report in 2003, about 28 percent of students feel UW-Madison creates a sense of “belonging” for students. That means that a majority of students feel UW-Madison does not provide enough opportunities for students to experience enough personal connection.
It’s unfortunate that certain students think they lack connection between people within campus. UW-Madison should be more and more careful about students in terms of making opportunities for them to communicate with each other.
However, students should also work hard on their own to make connections with other people. Personally, I was afraid of branching out and making new connections. I simply felt comfortable spending my time with people that I knew quite well. It is important to treasure close relationships, but meeting new people helps give us different aspects and insights into life. That is what I realized after I came to UW-Madison as an international student. Every time I face new people, I still have anxiety over interacting with them. Regardless, I do not stop trying to meet new people from different backgrounds mainly because it is rewarding to experience new viewpoints and broaden my outlook on the world.
Even if I am majoring in journalism and political science, that does not mean I have to communicate only with people of my major. I have met many students majoring in a variety of things from computer engineering to economics. After meeting these people, I quickly learned just how diverse our interests are and how much I can learn from others. This new interest even led me to write this article. Using my newfound interest in science paired with my interest in journalism I am able to do new and interesting things.
Connection between people you’re close to is comforting, but it is still important to reach out and make new connections. Even though I get nervous meeting new people, I still value the exchange and I think we all could learn from these experiences. In addition to that, during these frigid months it is good for us Wisconsinites to treasure people’s connections and keep ourselves warm.
Yukako is a junior majoring in journalism and political science. Do you agree with her assesment on the need for human connection? Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com
