I always worry about studies like these, but this seems plausible - we underestimate how others see us in early conversations. Of course there are some who dramatically overestimate.
The Liking Gap in Conversations: Do People Like Us More Than We Think?
Erica J. Boothby1, Gus Cooney2, Gillian M. Sandstrom3, and Margaret S. Clark4
1Department of Psychology, Cornell University; 2Department of Psychology, Harvard University; 3Department of Psychology, University of Essex; and 4Department of Psychology, Yale University
Abstract
Having conversations with new people is an important and rewarding part of social life. Yet conversations can also be intimidating and anxiety provoking, and this makes people wonder and worry about what their conversation partners really think of them. Are people accurate in their estimates? We found that following interactions, people systematically underestimated how much their conversation partners liked them and enjoyed their company, an illusion we call the liking gap. We observed the liking gap as strangers got acquainted in the laboratory, as first-year college students got to know their dorm mates, and as formerly unacquainted members of the general public got to know each other during a personal development workshop. The liking gap persisted in conversations of varying lengths and even lasted for several months, as college dorm mates developed new relationships. Our studies suggest that after people have conversations, they are liked more than they know.
Comments