Liking gap(s) in getting-acquainted interactions.

Abstract

In first interactions, people often think about how much they like the other and how much the other likes them in return. Recently, a liking gap has been identified, which is the tendency for people to underestimate how much a new acquaintance likes them. With data from a compiled sample of pairs of strangers interacting for the first time, this investigation contributes to knowledge on how common it is to experience this perceived liking gap (versus no gap or an overestimation of how much one is liked). Also examined is an actual liking gap, the difference between how much people think they are liked by their interaction partner and how much the partner actually reports liking them in return. The liking gaps were found in the compiled sample and were robust across the individual studies and different conditions within the studies.