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Perceived, not actual, similarity predicts initial attraction in a live romantic context: Evidence from the speed‐dating paradigm
Author(s) -
Tidwell Natasha D.,
Eastwick Paul W.,
Finkel Eli J.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
personal relationships
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.81
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1475-6811
pISSN - 1350-4126
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-6811.2012.01405.x
Subject(s) - attraction , similarity (geometry) , romance , psychology , context (archaeology) , social psychology , interpersonal attraction , event (particle physics) , face (sociological concept) , computer science , artificial intelligence , paleontology , social science , philosophy , linguistics , physics , quantum mechanics , sociology , psychoanalysis , image (mathematics) , biology
The “similarity‐attraction” effect stands as one of the most well‐known findings in social psychology. However, some research contends that perceived but not actual similarity influences attraction. The current study is the first to examine the effects of actual and perceived similarity simultaneously during a face‐to‐face initial romantic encounter. Participants attending a speed‐dating event interacted with ∼12 members of the opposite sex for 4 min each. Actual and perceived similarity for each pair were calculated from questionnaire responses assessed before the event and after each date. Data revealed that perceived, but not actual, similarity significantly predicted romantic liking in this speed‐dating context. Furthermore, perceived similarity was a far weaker predictor of attraction when assessed using specific traits rather than generally.