I Feel Like I Know You: Sharing Negative Attitudes of Others Promotes Feelings of Familiarity
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2011
Keywords
attitudinal similarity, balance theory, closeness, interpersonal relationships
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167211398364
Abstract
Holding similar negative—versus positive—attitudes toward a third party has been shown to predict increased closeness to a stranger. Here, the authors examined whether this effect is mediated by the heightened feelings of familiarity engendered by shared negative attitudes. In Study 1, participants who shared with a (bogus) stranger a negative attitude of a professor subsequently reported knowing more about the stranger than those who shared a positive attitude, but only when they did not feel strongly about the attitude. In Study 2, a familiarity manipulation produced high levels of closeness among participants who believed they had a lot of information about a stranger. Among those who believed they knew little about the stranger, closeness was facilitated by sharing a weakly held, negative attitude of a professor. Discussion considers the relevance of these findings to the interpersonal attraction literature.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, v. 37, issue 4, p. 481-491
Scholar Commons Citation
Weaver, Jonathan R. and Bosson, Jennifer K., "I Feel Like I Know You: Sharing Negative Attitudes of Others Promotes Feelings of Familiarity" (2011). Psychology Faculty Publications. 1169.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/psy_facpub/1169
