Reluctant to reconnect with an old friend? This B.C. study might help you understand why

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

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 realized was many of us are stubbornly unwilling to call, text or email the people who used to play a meaningful role in our lives.