Interpersonal Attraction
1. Physical Attributes
2. Confidence
3. Affect
4. Proximity
5. Similarity
6. Reciprocity
What Causes Attraction: Confidence
Super confident:
is it Attractive?
▪ Blunder Effect or
Pratfall Effect
What Causes Attraction?
3. Emotional State (Affect)
The Associated Effect – Misattribution
Aroused by something unrelated to a person
we are with feel attraction to that person
Misattributions of Physiological Arousal for Attraction
What Causes Attraction
Misattributions of physiological arousal
Hot Drink may Influence how Likable You are
Negotiations: people who sit on hard chairs (vs soft) are harder negotiators
A study by Lawrence Williams of the University of Colorado and John A. Bargh of Yale University
Experiencing Physical Warmth Promotes Interpersonal Warmth
What Causes Attraction
4. Proximity
physical closeness between two
individuals with respect to where
they live, where they sit in a
classroom, where they work,
and so on
The Propinquity Effect:
increased likelihood that two people will
come into repeated contact, feel
positive affect, and develop mutual
attraction
The Propinquity Effect
Location Exposure Familiarity Attraction
Propinquity effect is stronger
when people are not aware of
the exposure
The effect does not happen
when people’s initial reaction is
very negative. In this case,
familiarity can result in more
dislike
What Causes Attraction – Do Opposites Attract?
5. Similarity
Similarity-dissimilarity effect:
respond positively to people who are similar
to us & negatively to people who are
dissimilar
What do we think about people who are
SIMILAR to us?
more intelligent,
more informed,
more moral, and
better adjusted than people who are
dissimilar
Similarity: Liking those who are like us
Demographic similarity: ▪ age, race, education, religion, SES
▪ Attitudes ▪ Values ▪ Personalities
▪ Attractiveness
▪ Intelligence
The strongest correlation is for similarity in education
6. ReciprocityLiking those who like us
We are more likely to approach those who offer acceptance
Men’s dopamine receptiors are activated:▪ If an attractive woman
makes an eye contact ▪ The same findings for
gay men
