Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
acceptedVersion
Publication Date
2-2019
Abstract
Does close distance increase liking for a social object? In a preliminary sociogram task, an association between proximity and intimacy was found in drawings of self and others. In three experimental studies, male participants consistently preferred female targets who were (actually or appeared to be) close than far from them. Distance was manipulated through various means—sitting distance (Study 2), presenting two facial images separately to each eye by a stereoscopic device (Study 3), or a video clip (Study 4). This effect was stronger among those with deprived social needs and occurred in part because close (vs. far) targets seemed psychologically more accessible to the perceiver. Our findings offer rare experimental evidence for the empirically challenged propinquity effect and provide new insights on how distance shapes inner experience.
Keywords
Distance, Liking, Motivation, Propinquity, Target accessibility
Discipline
Psychology | Social Psychology
Research Areas
Psychology
Publication
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
Volume
45
Issue
2
First Page
300
Last Page
309
ISSN
0146-1672
Identifier
10.1177/0146167218784903
Publisher
SAGE Publications (UK and US)
Citation
SHIN, Ji Eun, SUH, Eunkook, LI, Norman P., EO, Kangyong, CHONG, Sang Chul, & TSAI, Ming-Hong.(2019). Darling, get closer to me: Spatial proximity amplifies interpersonal liking. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 45(2), 300-309.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/2669
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167218784903