Reaching Out Really Does Touch Someone In a Positive Way

We all think about it from time to time, "I should reach out to that old friend to see how they're doing."

It might seem like a small gesture, but scientists at the University of Pittsburgh say their study proves that reaching out to an old friend "just because" has a greater impact than one might think.

The researchers ran an experiment involving more than 5,900 people, in which they had folks text or call -- or in some cases, sent an actual note or a small gift to friends with whom they've lost touch. Afterward, they polled both the givers and the recipients, grading how much that gesture meant on a points system.

Overwhelmingly, the researchers found, those that were the recipients of that call, text, or small gift reported high levels of appreciation, coupled with positive feelings from the surprise. On the other hand, those who made the effort consistently underestimated how much that gesture meant to the recipients.

The researchers noted that some of those who reached out felt hesitant to do so, but the scientists say those fears proved to be unfounded, particularly in light of how many of us lost touch because of the pandemic, and elements of life now like remote work.

The study's author, Peggy Liu, Ph.D., said, "I sometimes pause before reaching out to people from my pre-pandemic social circle for a variety of reasons. When that happens, I think about these research findings and remind myself that other people may also want to reach out to me and hesitate for the same reasons." "People are fundamentally social beings and enjoy connecting with others," she concludes, noting how important maintaining social connections is "for our mental and physical health." Dr. Liu's study findings were also published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

So, those old telephone commercials were on to something when they told us to "reach out, and touch someone."

The 74th Primetime Emmy Awards will be held on Monday, September 12, with the location and host yet to be announced. The Emmys will recognize the best in American primetime programming airing between June 1, 2021 and May 31, 2022.

The ceremony will broadcast live at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and will stream live on Peacock -- a first for the Emmys.

See below the nominations for this year's Emmy's:

Better Call Saul
Euphoria
Ozark
Severance
Squid Game
Stranger Things
Succession
Yellowjackets

Abbot Elementary
Barry
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Hacks
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Only Murders In The Building
Ted Lasso
What We Do in the Shadows

Dopesick
The Dropout
Inventing Anna
Pam & Tommy
The White Lotus

Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers
Ray Donovan: The Movie
Reno 911!: The Hunt For QAnon
The Survivor
Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas

Brian Cox -- Succession
Lee Jung-jae -- Squid Game
Bob Odenkirk -- Better Call Saul
Adam Scott -- Severance
Jeremy Strong -- Succession

Donald Glover -- Atlanta
Bill Hader -- Barry
Nicholas Holt -- The Great
Steve Martin -- Only Murders In The Building
Martin Short -- Only Murders In The Building
Jason Sudeikis -- Ted Lasso

Colin Firth -- The Staircase
Andrew Garfield -- Under The Banner Of Heaven
Oscar Isaac -- Scenes From A Marriage
Michael Keaton -- Dopesick
Himesh Patel -- Station Eleven
Sebastian Stan -- Pam & Tommy

Jodie Comer -- Killing Eve
Laura Linney -- Ozark
Melanie Lynskey -- Yellowjackets
Sandra Oh -- Killing Eve
Reese Witherspoon -- The Morning Show
Zendaya, Euphoria

Rachel Brosnahan -- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Quinta Brunson -- Abbott Elementary
Kaley Cuoco -- The Flight Attendant
Elle Fanning -- The Great
Issa Rae -- Insecure
Jean Smart -- Hacks

Toni Collette -- The Staircase
Lily James -- Pam & Tommy
Sarah Paulson -- Impeachment: American Crime Story
Margaret Qualley -- MAID
Amanda Seyfried -- The Dropout

Nicholas Braun -- Succession
Billy Crudup -- The Morning Show
Kieran Culkin -- Succession
Park Hae-soo -- Squid Game
Matthew Macfadyen -- Succession
John Turturro -- Severance
Christopher Walken -- Severance
Oh Yeong-su -- Squid Game

Anthony Carrigan -- Barry
Brett Goldstein -- Ted Lasso
Toheeb Jimoh -- Ted Lasso
Nick Mohammed -- Ted Lasso
Tony Shalhoub -- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Tyler James Williams -- Abbott Elementary
Henry Winkler -- Barry
Bowen Yang -- Saturday Night Live

Murray Bartlett -- The White Lotus
Jake Lacy -- The White Lotus
Will Poulter -- Dopesick
Seth Rogen -- Pam & Tommy
Peter Sarsgaard -- Dopesick
Michael Stuhlbarg -- Dopesick
Steve Zahn -- The White Lotus

Patricia Arquette -- Severance
Julia Garner -- Ozark
Jung Ho-yeon -- Squid Game
Christina Ricci -- Yellowjackets
Rhea Seehorn -- Better Call Saul
J. Smith-Cameron -- Succession
Sarah Snook -- Succession
Sydney Sweeney -- Euphoria

Alex Borstein -- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Hannah Einbinder -- Hacks
Janelle James -- Abbott Elementary
Kate McKinnon -- Saturday Night Live
Sarah Niles -- Ted Lasso
Sheryl Lee Ralph -- Abbott Elementary
Juno Temple -- Ted Lasso
Hannah Waddingham -- Ted Lasso

Connie Britton -- The White Lotus
Jennifer Coolidge -- The White Lotus
Alexandra Daddario -- The White Lotus
Kaitlyn Dever -- Dopesick
Natasha Rothwell -- The White Lotus
Sydney Sweeney -- The White Lotus
Mare Winningham -- Dopesick

The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Late Night With Seth Meyers
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

Controlling Britney Spears (New York Times Presents)
George Carlin’s American Dream
Lucy And Desi
The Tinder Swindler
We Feed People

The Andy Warhol Diaries
The Beatles: Get Back
jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy
100 Foot Wave
We Need To Talk About Cosby
My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman
The Problem With Jon Stewart
Stanley Tucci: Searching For Italy
Vice

The Amazing Race • CBS • WorldRace Productions, Inc.
Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls
Nailed It!
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice

Antiques Roadshow
Fixer Upper: Welcome Home
Love Is Blind
Queer Eye
Shark Tank

Arcane
Bob’s Burgers
Rick And Morty
The Simpsons
What If…?

The Boys Presents: Diabolical
Love, Death + Robots
Robot Chicken
Star Wars: Visions
When Billie Met Lisa