Is there a psychological link between physical and social warmth?
The Williams and Bargh (2008) coffee study is one data point among many that bear on this question. Since its publication there has been a surge of further research on the association between physical and social warmth, especially in neuroscience and medical science. As a result, there is now an array of evidence relevant to (1) the reality of the physical-social warmth pathway and (2) its possible anatomical location and neurochemical mechanisms.
Useful read: https://acmelab.yale.edu/sites/default/files/bargh_melnikoff_reply_to_chabris_et_al_2019.pdf