With freezing temperatures still holding the country in their icy grasp, feeling the chill is hard to avoid. But one of the best ways to do it might be to seek out isolation. According to new research, just looking at someone visibly experiencing cold is enough to significantly drop the body temperature of the viewer.

The study, carried out at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School saw 36 volunteers watch eight three-minute videos of people submerging their hands in containers of water that were visible hot or cold. Another four videos that showed hands placed in front of the water were also used as a control.

When watching the tapes, the temperature of the volunteers’ hands was monitored and revealed the subject’s became much colder when watching the cold-water ones. This phenomenon is called ‘temperature contagion’.

The study was spearheaded by neuropsychiatrist Dr Neil Harrison, who says the unconscious response is probably designed to help human beings empathise with each other.

"Mimicking another person is believed to help us create an internal model of their physiological state which we can use to better understand their motivations and how they are feeling," Dr Harrison said.

"Humans are profoundly social creatures and much of humans' success results from our ability to work together in complex communities - this would be hard to do if we were not able to rapidly empathize with each other and predict one another's thoughts, feelings and motivations." 

It brings a whole new meaning to giving someone the cold shoulder...

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