Interpersonal Attraction: Who Likes Whom, and Why?
The social dyadis a group consisting of two people. It is the basic unit of social
behavior. The dyad is a common element in dating behavior, marriage, and the
formation of friendships. Consequently a study of the dyad and the factors
involved in its formation is an important aspect of social psychology. Interper-
sonal attractionexists between two people when they make, or wish to make,
more approach responses than avoidance responses to each other. It is this, the
presence of an interpersonal attraction, that leads to the spontaneous formation of
dyads. Informally, we say that two people are “drawn” to each other or that some
kind of “magnetism” exists.
It should be noted that attraction is not necessarily interpersonal. It is inter-
personal only if the attraction is mutual. If Gerald has a crush on Lauren, and if
Lauren does not share Gerald’s feelings, then the attraction is unilateral,not
interpersonal. The concepts presented below can be understood in the framework
of either unilateral or interpersonal attraction. Six aspects of interpersonal attrac-
tion will be explored.
First, physical appearance plays an important role in interpersonal attraction.
Beverly thinks, “Gilbert is so good-looking.” Gilbert thinks, “Beverly is so beau-
tiful.” Obviously, these perceptions play an important part in their interpersonal
attraction. The word perceptionneeds to be stressed. Females other than Beverly
may not perceive Gilbert as good-looking. Males other than Gilbert may not per-
ceive Beverly as beautiful. An old saying states, “Beauty is in the eye of the
beholder.” The perception of physical appearance itself is affected by a number of
factors, including the ones identified below.
Second, personality traitsare a set of factors. It is sometimes said that opposites
attract. In the case of personality, there seems to be an element of truth in the
assertion. There is likely to be an interpersonal attraction between an extravert
and an introvert. The extravert has an audience, and the introvert is more com-
fortable listening than talking. There is also likely to be an interpersonal attraction
between a dominating person and a submissive one. The dominating person has
someone to boss, and the submissive person wants to be told what to do. The
principle at work here is called reciprocity,which consists of an exchange that
has value for both individuals.
(a) The social dyad is a group consisting of people.
(b) attraction exists between two people when they make, or wish to make,
more approach responses than avoidance responses to each other.
(c) Beverly thinks, “Gilbert is so good-looking.” In this case, what factor is playing a role in
her attraction to him?
Social Psychology: Interacting with Other People 249
