How Does Similarity Carves Relationships?

We’ve all experienced this scenario: you’re at a party, surrounded by a sea of strangers when all of a sudden, fate steps in. You notice someone wearing your favourite actor’s t-shirt or maybe a similar outfit across the room. You experience an unsaid connection and a flash of recognition. We tend to favour people who are like us, a phenomenon known as the “similarity-attraction effect. This is something well-known and has interested researchers for quite some time now.

Boston University’s most recent study has identified one of the contributing elements. The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, which is affiliated with the American Psychological Association, released the findings of the study. Let’s dive right in and understand it better!

How Was The Study Conducted?

In a set of four studies, Researcher Chu examined the intricacies of interpersonal connections to learn more about why we are drawn to some people while avoiding others. This research explains the complex mechanics of attraction and demonstrates. How similar thoughts can have a significant impact on how links emerge.

How Does Similarity Drive Attraction?

It’s important to understand how people connect through shared interests in a society where compatibility is essential. People with similar interests naturally gravitate towards one another, as highlighted by the similarity-attraction effect.

There is one important aspect, which psychologists refer to as self-essentialist thinking. It is the belief that one has a deep inner core or essence that determines one’s identity. Chu discovered that people tend to assume that others share their interests, likes, and dislikes when they hold a core belief. They expect that someone will share their bigger worldview if they encounter someone who has even one similar interest.

This study shows that self-essentialist reasoning greatly affects the similarity-attraction effect. Self-essentialist reasoning means that you think there is something deep inside you that makes you who you are. For individuals who think that an essential core shapes their identities. They are more likely to be drawn to those who have similar characteristics or viewpoints.

Self-essentialists tend to deduce shared worldviews from narrowly defined common interests, which might result in incorrect presumptions and potentially limit the scope of their interactions due to minor disputes. So, Chu encourages pausing before passing judgement on someone who initially appears to be different from you.

He claims that it is more productive for us to experience life, meet others, and create impressions of them without continuously referring to ourselves. People are often a lot more complicated than we think. So it’s better to not fall prey to the similarity-attraction effect.