A new research suggests that sipping a hot cup of coffee when feeling lonely may be a coping mechanism for social exclusion.

University of Toronto doctors conducted a study that confirmed this behavior.

In an experiment the doctors had students play a ball-tossing computer game. The students were made to think they were playing with other students but in facts it is completely rigged and computerized. A group of students had only few balls tossed their way to make them feel being left out, while another group had several balls tossed their way to make them feel they are included.

A “marketing survey” was conducted after the game that asked how much they would like five different types of items: hot coffee, hot soup, an apple, crackers, or an ice-cold Coke. The students who felt left-out wanted the soup and coffee more than the other items.

Seems the book series Chicken Soup for the Soul is very aptly named.