A new study showed that those who avoid close relationships or who were more anxious had faster responses when placed in a potentially dangerous situation.
Hmm, maybe it pays off to have that awkward friend?
The study rounded up 138 college students and had them fill out a survey to learn how they would approach a relationship. According to past research, people approach relationships three ways: anxious, avoidant, or secure (this is called the attachment theory). The students were then put into a room with a computer. When the experimenter would leave the room, the computer would emit smoke. The groups that were scored with higher levels of avoidance and anxiousness responded faster—about 1 to .5 seconds faster for each point higher they scored on avoidance/anxiety on their survey.
There might be cultural differences since this experiment was conducted inIsrael. Many of the young people there are involved in military service. The researchers recommend having diverse amount of friends in terms of different attachment security levels—it might give you a better chance of saving your life.
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Professional Medical Corp 