Perceived, not actual, similarity predicts initial attraction in a live romantic context: Evidence from the speeddating paradigm

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. Over the past 60 years, researchers have examined thoroughly the role that similarity between partners plays in predicting interpersonal attraction. Until recently, the general consensus has been that participants report stronger attraction to objectively similar others (i.e., actual similarity) than to those with whom they share fewer traits, beliefs, and/or attitudes. The similarity-attraction effect, commonly dubbed “Byrne’s law of attraction” or “Byrne’s law of similarity,” is a central Natasha D. Tidwell, Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University; Paul W. Eastwick, Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University; Eli J. Finkel, Department of Psychology, Northwestern University. We thank Jacob Matthews for his masterful programming of the Northwestern Speed-dating Study and the Northwestern Speed-Dating Team for conducting the studies themselves. We also thank David Kenny for his assistance with the social relations model analyses. Correspondence should be addressed to Natasha D. Tidwell, Texas A&M University, Department of Psychology, 4235 TAMU, College Station, TX 778434235, e-mail: [email protected] or Paul W. Eastwick, Texas A&M University, Department of Psychology, 4235 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-4235, e-mail: [email protected]. feature of textbook reviews of attraction and relationship initiation.1 Research on the actual similarity-attraction effect has most frequently examined similarity of attitudes, finding that participants are more likely to become attracted to a stranger with whom they share many common attitudes than to one with whom they share few (Byrne, 1961; Byrne, Ervin, & Lamberth, 1970). Scholars have also found that actual similarity of personality traits predicts initial attraction, but the results are not as robust as those for attitude similarity (Klohnen & Luo, 2003). Furthermore, some research has suggested that actual similarity in external qualities (e.g., age, hairstyle) is more predictive of 1. Researchers have also found that actual similarity predicts satisfaction and stability in existing relationships (e.g., Gaunt, 2006; Luo et al., 2008; Luo & Klohnen, 2005), suggesting that Byrne’s law of attraction may extend well beyond initial attraction per se. Although we review prior work on similarity in both initial attraction and established relationship contexts below, the present data specifically examine the association between similarity and attraction in an initial face-toface encounter.