Effects of proximity on interpersonal attraction (Also known as the propinquity effect)
editIn the field of social psychology, proximity is considered one of the key factors to forming interpersonal attraction with strangers. The greater the proximity to a stranger, the higher the chance that both of them will form an interpersonal relationship, be it platonic or romantic.
On the Propinquity effect on romantic relationships in the office.
editStudies show that because of the close proximity in the workplace, most co-workers begin a relationship with each other. Factors of interpersonal attraction like love, emotion, and social exchange are amplified by close proximity. 80 percent of U.S. employees self-report social-sexual experiences on the job with other co-workers. These experiences range from fun-loving flings to passionate love and romance. [1]
On the Propinquity effect on friendships in college housing.
editA psychology study measured the level of friendship maintained among students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and found that the closer the proximity the students lived to each other in the housing complex of MIT, the stronger they reported their friendship to their fellow students. The opposite effect was also observed to be true: The farther away students lived from each other in the housing complex, the weaker they reported their friendships to their fellow students. [2]
Dear John Letters and the Propinquity effect on Long Distance Relationships
editA "Dear John Letter" was a term coined by American soldiers during World War II to reference the large amounts of letters sent by wives and girlfriends of American troops currently stationed overseas that contained the message that the wife or girlfriend had found intimacy with somebody else and that they were subsequently ending their relationship. [3] "Dear John Letters" are a historical example of the challenges of maintaining a loving relationship when close proximity is not an option.
With the advances of technology, Long Distance Relationships have become easier to sustain but still require more effort and communication then a standard relationship. [4]
The Mere-Exposure Effect
editThe mere-exposure effect is a psychological habit in where people naturally like and feel more comfortable around people or objects that they have had repeated exposure to.
Increased propinquity (being close to another person) will often lead to an increase in attraction to that person and to an increased exposure to an object will often lead to an increase in attraction to that particular object. This is due to factors such as increased familiarity and predictability of the person or object which makes us more relaxed and generally happier. The mere-exposure effect can be completely subconscious and we can grow attracted to a person or object without consciously knowing why. [5]
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- ^ "Attraction in Organizations: A Model of Workplace Romance on JSTOR" (PDF). www.jstor.org. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
- ^ Festinger, L., Schachter, S., & Bach, K. (1950). "Social pressures in informal groups". New York: Harper.
- ^ Quinion, Michael (13 Dec 2003). "Dear John letter".World Wide Words.
- ^ Oakes, Kelly Finch, and Kristina S. Brown. "Long‐Distance Relationships."The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Family Studies (2016).
- ^ Bornstein, Robert F.; D'Agostino, Paul R. (1992-10-01). "Stimulus recognition and the mere exposure effect". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 63 (4): 545–552. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.63.4.545. ISSN 1939-1315.