B.C. study explores people’s reluctance to reconnect with old friends [Video]

Have you ever wanted to rekindle an old friendship, but stopped short of actually reaching out?

If so, you’re not alone – a joint-study from psychologists in B.C. and the U.K. has found many people are as hesitant to contact an old friend as they would be striking up a conversation with a total stranger.

Daunting as it can be to take the plunge, study co-author Dr. Lara Aknin, a professor at Simon Fraser University, did just that two years ago and reconnected with her friend Dr. Gillian Sandstrom at the University of Sussex.

All it took was a message on New Year’s Day.

“I reached out to Gillian and said, ‘Happy New Year, I miss you,’” Aknin said.

The two psychologists, who met years earlier as graduate students at the University of British Columbia, ultimately decided they would work on a project together – and fittingly chose to explore the ways people re-spark friendships.

What they quickly …