The repulsion hypothesis: On the nondevelopment of relationships.

Abstract

A universal contention in the psychological literature is that attitudinai similarity leads to attraction. I argue that attitudinai similarity does not lead to liking but that dissimilarity does indeed lead to repulsion. Primary attention is given to Byrne's experimental paradigm in which subjects are shown the attitude scale of a stranger that is similar or dissimilar to their own and who are then asked to indicate their attraction to the stranger. Consistently, Byrne and others have found a linear relation between similarity and attraction. Unfortunately, the Byrne paradigm has never included a control condition in which ratings are made in the absence of attitudinai information. Research that used the Byrne paradigm and other procedures that included an appropriate control group is reported, and support is found for a repulsion hypothesis. Byrne's reinforcement model of attraction is also shown not to be supported. Consideration is given to special conditions in which attitudinai similarity does lead to attraction, to the origins of the hypothesis that similarity leads to attraction, and to the theoretical basis for the repulsion effect.At the end of a chapter in their excellent book Interpersonal Attraction, Berscheid and Walster (1978) offered a summary statement:The answer to the question "Does attitudinal similarity generate liking?" is a resounding "yes." When we discover that others share our beliefs and attitudes, it is satisfying; we like them. When we discover that others disagree with us, it is unsettling; it's hard to like such persons, (p. 88)

The Gift of Similarity: How Good and Bad Gifts Influence Relationships

“…There is evidence that people assume substantial similarity with other individuals in general (Byrne et al, 1986) and with romantic partners in particular, even when such perceived similarity is not justified by reality (Acitelli et al,1993;Murray et al, 2002). Therefore, receiving information that disconfirms assumed similarity reliably reduces attraction relative to a no information control, whereas information that affirms similarity does not always increase attraction (Rosenbaum, 1986). As discussed, women have been repeatedly shown to actively protect relationships against various threats (e.g., violations of assumed similarity).…”

Interpersonal similarity as a social distance dimension: Implications for perception of others’ actions

“…In particular, it generates novel predictions regarding possible effects of similarity on attraction. Numerous studies have demonstrated that greater levels of similarity lead to attraction (e.g., Berscheid, 1985;Byrne, 1971;Byrne et al, 1966;Newcomb, 1956; for a review, see Byrne, 1997; although see, Aron, Steele, Kashdan, &Perez, 2006, andRosenbaum, 1986, for other perspectives on the similarity-attraction relationship). From the present perspective, however, this relationship should also depend on the value of low-and high-level construal features associated with the other person.…”

What cognitive representations underlie social attitudes?

“…A second powerful effect is the similarity-attraction effect (or dissimilarity-repulsion effect [Rosenbaum, 1986])-the tendency to be attracted to people as a function of the similarity of their attitudes to your own. In the research on this effect, the experimenter prepares a description of another person, which consists of a list of that person's opinion responses.…”