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Major Factors that Enhance the Degree of Interpersonal Attraction

Most researches regarding interpersonal attraction generally emphasize not only on similarity, but also on proximity and familiarity among people. Friendships and interpersonal attraction develop when people meet one another for the first time, and gradually continue to interact with each other over time. According to the results from several research experiments, proximity (physical distance) and mere exposure (repeated contact that leads to familiarity) tend to increase the rate of likability and interpersonal attraction.

Attraction is the core of interpersonal relationships. It explains how people feel positively amongst each other, leading to positive relationship between them. One of the major factors that contribute to the increase in attraction is the physical distance between two people. people tend to have greater attraction for and keep close proximity to a person of opposite sex with similar attitudes than to one with dissimilar attitudes. Furthermore, when people share most of the time together in close distance, they feel more attached and more connected with each other. Batool offers reasons why proximity might be effective in increasing interpersonal attractiveness. He stated that close proximity to another person includes a small practical distance and opportunity for continued interaction, which can considerable enhance the possibility of attraction. Environment setting also matters in determining proximity. Phenomenal distance for example, is the way the distance between two persons is perceived appears to depend upon the number of others who intervene. For instance, in a rural area, persons living a half-mile away may be considered neighbors, while in a city, those living one hundred feet away may not be. Accessibility is one essential part of understanding proximity in increasing attraction. It is easy for roommates to interact without each encounter being an occasion. Their relationship, almost certainly not the optimal combination of personalities, is nonetheless attractive for its easy accessibility.

In addition to the level of proximity in effecting the degree of attraction between people, there are other factors that determine whether interpersonal attraction increases or not. Research has found that mere exposure (repeated contact builds familiarity) increases interpersonal attraction. Zajonc et al stated that we tend to build familiarity with a person or a stimulus, because novelty is commonly associated with uncertainty and with conflict; it is more likely to produce negative than positive affect. Experiment on the effects of mere exposure and attitudinal similarity on self-disclosure, subjects were willing to disclose significantly more items and more intimate items to the most frequently seen other. Furthermore, there was a strong evidence in the nonparametric analyses of increased liking for the person exposed more often and subjects showed a preference for affiliating with the person seen the most. Mere exposure can also be understood from a reward-cost position, in that high frequency of mere exposure can have reinforcement effects under certain conditions. Mere exposure affects similarity as well as attraction. An experiment by Reis showed that women who attended more class sessions earned significantly higher attractiveness scores, and the students believed that they would be more likely to befriend those women, enjoy spending time with them, and cooperate on class projects because they are more likely to see them in class sessions than women who attend to only few class sessions.