Mediaboss Marketing

Are you one of those people who dreadsnetworking to get ahead? Does it make you feelicky? Well, you're not alone.

Turns out,networking can make people feel so grossthat it translates to feelings of physicaldirtiness,according to a study in an upcoming issue of Administrative Science Quarterly.

Researchers found that professional, instrumental networking -- the kind ofplanned, thought-out and calculated networkingusedto advance your career --leavespeople feeling more physically dirty than social, spontaneous networking.

Researchers atthe University of Toronto, Harvard and Northwestern ran experimentsin labsand surveyed lawyers at a large U.S.firm. Peoplewere asked to either recount past networking experiences or imagine themselves in certain scenarios. They were also given tasks, like word completions, or told to choose adjectives or productsfrom a list todescribe their experience.

They found that people associated calculated, professional networking with the need for cleaning supplies, or with adjectives like "dirty." But people didn'tfeel that way about spontaneous, social networking.

One explanation: professional networking is often perceived being inherently selfish, rather than something thatbenefits others, said study author TizianaCasciaro, an associate professor at University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.

Think of actively pursuing new friends or spontaneously meeting new people; thenthink of actively pursuingpotential newclients. "That is harder to conceive as altruistically-driven,"Casciaro said.

In recent years, there has been "strong evidence" that thoughts of moral impurity actually translate into physical reactions, Casciaro said. For instance, people who commit unethical acts have an urge to cleanse themselves.

Thenegative attitudespeople expresstoward networking actually prompted researchersto study the psychology behind it.

"When you teach about networks--what theycan help you do--this stuff comes up.Oh, this nasty business of having to go out there and build relationships and checking people out. It feels awkward and uncomfortable," Casciaro said. "Not everyone feels that way, but obviously many do."

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Professional networking can make you feel physically dirty