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10.4 FACTORS BASED ON INTERACTING WITH 
OTHERS: SIMILARITY AND MUTUAL LIKING : 
 
The above discussion clearly indicates that interpersonal 
attraction or beginning of any relationship is influenced by the need 
for affiliation, positive affect (positive emotional state), physical 
proximity and the positive evaluation or reaction to the observable 
characteristic of the other person. These are the internal and 
external salient features of the attraction phenomenon. However, 
the verbal communication that takes place among the two 
individuals is equally very important. There are two aspects of this 
communication one the similarity which the interacting individuals 
found among each other and the mutual liking expressed in the 
interaction.
10.4.1 Similarity : 
 
 
It is a well accepted fact that people like to be with persons 
who are more similar to them. Similarity can be of attitudes, beliefs, 
values and many more things. The tendency to respond positively 

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to indications that another person is similar to them and negatively 
to indications that another person is dissimilar from them is referred 
as similarity-dissimilarity effect. The similarity effect also makes 
one to judge the similar person having positive traits. More the 
proportion of similarity among two people more possibility of 
attraction can be expected. A idea that was proposed as an 
alternative to similarity-dissimilarity hypothesis is that rather than 
people getting attracted on the basis of similarity it is opposite of 
that, people repulse about dissimilarity. This is referred as 
repulsion hypothesis. This hypothesis could not stand on 
empirical ground but it is believed that not only similarity but the 
dissimilarity among two people generates negative affect and 
hence influences interpersonal attraction. 
Research literature provides three theoretical explanations 
for the phenomenon that similarity generates positive affect and 
dissimilarity produces negative affect.
First is the balance theory which states that people has a 
tendency to organise their likes and dislikes in symmetrical way. 
When people like each other and find similarity among each other, 
this generates a balance and elicits positive emotional state which 
is pleasant state of mind. When people like each other and find 
dissimilarity between them, this generates imbalance which is an 
unpleasant emotional state. This situation drives the individual to 
restore balance by either change in one of them for similarity or 
misperceive the dissimilarity or decide to dislike each other. The 
non-balance occurs whenever two people dislikes each other, this 
does not necessarily generates pleasant or unpleasant state. Each 
person can be just indifferent to each other’s similarity and 
dissimilarity.
Second is the social comparison theory. It states that you 
compare your attitude, views and beliefs with other person as this is 
the only way to evaluate that other people agree with you or not. 
Through this process you keep on evaluating that you are not 
exceptionally different from other people. This is referred as 
obtaining consensual validation by turning to others. 
The third approach is to explain this phenomenon by 
adaptive response to potential danger. This is an evolutionary 
explanation, which states that we are primed to respond like our 
ancestors as they use to respond to the individual from other group 
by moving towards him-for friendship, moving away from him 
because of some threat and moving against him-being aggressive 
towards him. This indicates that these behaviours have survival 
value.

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Till now our discussion is centred on the fact that affect is 
central to the interpersonal attraction, especially similarity as it 
elicits positive emotional state and fosters attraction. However, 
along with affective state the cognitive evaluation is also said to be 
equally important. Though we follow affect centred understanding 
for interpersonal attraction the role of cognitive factors like 
stereotypes, beliefs and the factual knowledge needs to be 
considered.