Shelley TianNervous about sending the right signals? A new study by a U of A psychology researcher found what behaviours are consistently related to attraction.
In a paper published last May in the academic journal Psychological Bulletin, psychology PhD student Christine Kershaw scoured over 300 studies to determine which behaviours were related to attraction, as well as which model best explained why they occur. Kershaw started this research during her master’s program four years ago, as her advisor was interested in interpersonal work.
Kershaw highlighted six behaviours associated with attraction: eye-contact, smiling, mimetic behaviours, initiating conversation, head nodding, laughing, and maintaining physical proximity. On the other hand, some common behaviours like gesticulating, head-tilting, open-body posture, and leaning towards the person were not supported by the data and did not indicate attraction.
“I wouldn’t say one behaviour is more indicative of attraction or trust over another, especially because many of those behaviours I just listed were found to be linked to other culture’s expectations of attraction,” Kershaw said.
According to Kershaw, attraction is not limited to sexual attraction, and it can come from a positive experience or a desire to continue interacting with a person. Additionally, the behaviours she found held the same meaning across various gender, age, culture, and dating situations.
“If you want to tell somebody that you like them, you don’t have to worry about smiling at someone during a date or a conference room table is sending a different signal because it’s the same signal: that you like them and you trust them,” Kershaw said.
The results of the study also found that attraction leads to trust-building behaviours, rather than those behaviours causing attraction.
Kershaw said that initially, there were different models to explain why these behaviours were expressed, like that it matches emotions from a positive interaction or it encourages reducing physical distance for a reward. Ultimately, the model that encompassed most of the behaviours showed that attraction motivates people to approach others and build trust.
“We take part in these behaviours to communicate with our interaction partner to show that not only we like them, but that we want to develop trust with them,” Kershaw said.
By analyzing hundreds of studies, Kershaw said certain trends became more apparent compared to a single study. Sources were drawn from larger and smaller journals, as well as unpublished datasets from authors who frequently published in this field.
Although she will not continue this type of research for her PhD studies, Kershaw is looking forward to studying how relationships work between different groups of people. As for the study’s applications, she believes it could help other researchers working in the field.
“The field of attraction and interpersonal relationships could really benefit from this theory because it provides more information about how studies could be conducted,” Kershaw said. “I think it opens up that communication doesn’t necessarily have to be hindered by culture.”
