(Bk Business) Carol Kinsey Goman Ph.D.-The Nonverbal Advantage_ Secrets and Science of Body Language at Work -Berrett-Koehler Publishers (2008)

132 The Nonverbal Advantage
University of Minnesota admitted that they had found the
money when asked. But if the researcher touched the elbow
of the subject when inquiring about the coin, the percentage
of those admitting possession rose to 68 percent—and they
often looked embarrassed, with explanations like, “I was just
looking around to see who lost the money.”
High Touch
We are programmed to feel closer to someone who’s touched
us. The person who touches also feels more connected. It’s
a powerful force, and even momentary touching can create
a human bond. A touch on the forearm that lasts a mere
one-fortieth of a second can make the receiver not only feel
better but also see the giver as being kinder and warmer. The
person who’s been touched also perceives the environment
as friendlier.
The right kind of touch at the right time can even make
you money! Research by the Cornell University School of
Hotel Administration concludes that being touched by servers
increases the tips that customers leave. At two informal
restaurants, waitresses were assigned customers who were
randomly divided into three categories. Some customers
were not touched at all, others were touched once on the
shoulder for about one and a half seconds, and the rest were
touched twice on the palm of the hand for about a half second
each. All touches were given casually as the waitress
returned change to the customer at the end of the meal. In
all cases, eye contact was avoided.
The results at both restaurants were significant. Customers
who weren’t touched left an average tip of 12 percent.
Tips increased to 14 percent from those who were touched
on the shoulder and to 17 percent from those touched twice
on the hand.