On the importance of trust in interpersonal attraction from attitude similarity

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

Abstract

Trust has been identified as a key factor in relationship development and appreciation of group members. However, trust has not been previously considered as a reason for attitude similarity to result in attraction. Thus, in the current research, the authors investigated trust as a key component of attraction based on attitude similarity. Trust was shown to significantly mediate attitude similarity effects on attraction when measured alone (Experiment 1) and alongside positive affect in the participants (Experiment 2A), respect for the partner (Experiment 2B), or inferred partner’s attraction to the participants (Experiment 2C). Trust was also shown to have independent effects on attraction when juxtaposed with all three of the traditional mediators of attitude similarity effects (Experiment 3). Implications of these findings for models of attraction are discussed.

Publication Date

23-3-2015

Publisher

Sage Publications Ltd.

Volume

Vol.32

Issue

Iss.6

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