If you're hot, you're hot

John A. Bargh, a Yale University psychologist , has just finished leading a group of researchers who have determined that if you want to make a good first impression, have a cup of hot coffee at your disposal. According to their research, individuals who held a cup of hot coffee for 10 to 25 seconds warmed to a perfect stranger. Holding a cup of iced coffee had the opposite effect, indicating (I'm not sure "proving" is the correct word to use here) that temperatures affect emotions.

I'll go along with that. I have a different reaction seeing a woman in a bikini on a beach during the summer than I do seeing that same woman wrapped in a heavy coat during the winter. I will also say that a nice hot shower puts me in a far better mood than a cold one. However, I'm one of the world's great coffee drinkers, while my love life ... well, let's not go there. Of course, there's the fine print in the study that says "a hot beverage can't always overcome awkward habits and distasteful traits." Ahhh, that explains it.