Food from the same plate helps to negotiate

Scientists at the University of Chicago found that combines food from a common meals brings people together, improves communication, increases the degree of trust and helps to negotiate by coming to a compromise. The results of their study published in the journal Psychological Science.

Scientists have conducted an experiment involving 200 people. Subjects were divided into pairs who then offered to eat. Half the couples were able to use individual plates and only one plate for two.

In the course of the meal the couples had to agree on the adoption of a decision on specially created by scientists situation. These people had to imagine that they are managers of the enterprises and their choice depends, will be increased or reduced hourly fee for their employees. One participant, on the instructions of scientists, had to persuade his opponent to a decrease in salaries and another increase. The result is a pair who ate from the same plate, have entered into a mutually beneficial agreement faster than pairs who consumed food from different plates. Other similar experiments gave practically the same results, indicating that the food from the same plate helps to align even completely unknown before personalities.

“It’s amazing, but it’s true – the unknown people who eat from the same plate, are more likely to come to a consensus about anything to negotiate than using different plates. And this is true even for those crops that are not usually eat from common dishes,” said co-author Alec Fischbach.
Friends who eat from the same plate, agree faster than strangers, scientists added. Spouses should take this method on Board!

Earlier Magicforum wrote about the fact that men who agree to babysit, motivate wives to a successful career.