Interpersonal Coffee Drinking Communication Rituals

Abstract

Communication scholars are now seriously considering how food influences communication. While sociologists and anthropologists have long discussed food and social life, it remains unclear what mechanisms within food and drink are at work to engender positive communication. This study is based on interviews with 57 participants. The researcher analyzed how people use coffee rituals to mediate communication. Coffee rituals proved useful for three major reasons: 1) coffee provides a material substance that serves multiple psychological and physiological functions, 2) the coffee shop atmosphere offers a pleasant environment that encourages relaxation and conversation, and 3) coffee rituals encourage a script which creates a shared expectation. In the discussion section, the implications of these findings for business meetings and interpersonal relationship development are discussed.