If you are meeting your date in person, the clue to a closer connection could be in sharing a plate of food. Scientists from the University of Chicago School of Business found that when people are sharing a plate of food, they collaborate better and reach deals faster in business negotiations.

Study: Sharing improves agreeability

Shared plates mean shared minds, professor Ayelet Fishbach has discovered in the new research, along with Kaitlin Woody from the Cornell University.

Apparently, by simply changing the way the food is served it’s possible to improve agreeability between people negotiating a deal, Science Daily reported.

It is customary to share food in many cultures. For instance, Chinese and Indian restaurants offer shared plates, so are many outlets specializing in seafood.

Is a platter for two the best way to make a relationship closer?

If you are ordering a meal for the two of you, maybe skip the individual choices and just buy a platter for two to share?

Such platters could not only offer a great variety of tastes, but it would also improve chances for success on a date.

If it works for business negotiations, why wouldn’t it work for people who are weighting pros and cons of starting a relationship with each other or their readiness to become intimate?

In the study, sharing a plate of food improved the speed with which the agreement was made by over 40%.

Maybe a shared plate of delicacies is slightly more expensive than two individual meals, especially if they are made of cheaper ingredients, but if it gives you a better chance to succeed, that’s something to consider on the menu.

If this sounds expensive, go for shared starters such as breads with dips, which are often the cheapest items on the menu!

Often couples also try a piece of each other’s food, if they order different dishes. This is another great way to share.

This is one cool dating hack we never thought of before!

In the study, participants who shared a plate of chips and a bowl of salsa, achieved agreements by over 40% faster.

The study

The lab experiment by scientists involved negotiations. Half of the participants who were unknown to each other received one bowl of chips and a bowl of salsa to share, while the other half got personal bowls for each individual.

Then the pair had to act in a negotiation scenario where one of them was a top manager of a company and the other was a union representative.

The goal was to arrive to a mutually acceptable solution within 22 rounds of negotiations. On the third round of negotiations, there was a union strike happening, which was very costly to both parties, to give them a stimulus to resolve the negotiations about raising of the wage for union workers.

• The teams who shared bowls of food agreed faster: On average, it only took them 9 rounds.
• The teams that had individual bowls of the same food took on average 13 rounds to reach an agreement.

In the terms of losses, the teams who reach agreements faster saved 1.5 million dollars in losses due to a strike, albeit imaginary.

Then the experiment had been changed: This time pairs of friends were given the same task.

Friends did reach agreement faster than strangers, however, the way their food was served was still important: People who shared plates agreed quicker.

Just remember for yourself: Every meal where you are not sharing a plate with your date, is a missed opportunity to grow closer! Sharing promotes the feelings of closeness, scientists insist.

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