Interpersonal Attraction

Research Questions: What predicts attraction? Do people really know what characteristics they desire in a romantic partner? How do dating innovations like speed-dating and online dating influence the romantic initiation process? In what ways (if any) do similarity and familiarity breed liking versus contempt? Is there an organizing theoretical principle that explains interpersonal attraction?

Sparks, J., Daly, C., Wilkey, B. M., Molden, D. C., Finkel, E. J., & Eastwick, P. W. (in press). Negligible evidence that people desire partners who uniquely fit their ideals. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. [Download}

Eastwick, P. W., Finkel, E. J., & Simpson, J. A. (2019a). Best practices for testing the predictive validity of ideal partner preference-matching. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 45, 167-181. [Download]

Eastwick, P. W., Finkel, E. J., & Simpson, J. A. (2019b). Relationship trajectories: A meta-theoretical framework and theoretical applications [target article]. Psychological Inquiry, 30, 1-28. [Download]

Eastwick, P. W., Finkel, E. J., & Simpson, J. A. (2019c). The relationship trajectories framework: Elaboration and expansion [response to commentaries]. Psychological Inquiry, 30, 48-57. [Download]

Finkel, E. J., & Baumeister, R. F. (2019). Attraction and rejection. In E. J. Finkel, and R. F. Baumeister (Eds.), Advanced social psychology: The state of the science (pp. 201-226). New York: Oxford University Press. [Download]

Joel, S., Eastwick, P. W., & Finkel, E. J. (2017). Is romantic desire predictable? Machine learning applied to initial romantic attraction. Psychological Science, 28, 1478-1489. [Download]

Vacharkulksemsuk, V., Reit, E., Khambatta, P., Eastwick, P. W., Finkel, E. J., & Carney, D. R. (2016). Dominant, open nonverbal displays are attractive at zero-acquaintance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 113, 4009-4014. [Download]

Finkel, E. J., & Eastwick, P. E. (2015). Interpersonal Attraction: In Search of a Theoretical Rosetta Stone. In J. A. Simpson & J. F. Dovidio (Eds.), APA Handbook of personality and social psychology, volume 3: Interpersonal relations (pp. 179-210). Washington: American Psychological Association. [Download]

Finkel, E. J., Norton, M. I., Reis, H. T., Ariely, D., Caprariello, P. A., Eastwick, P. W., Frost, J. H., & Maniaci, M. R. (2015). When does familiarity promote versus undermine interpersonal attraction? A proposed integrative model from erstwhile adversaries. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10, 3-19. [Download]

Hunt, L. L., Eastwick, P. W., & Finkel, E. J. (2015). Leveling the playing field: Acquaintance length predicts reduced assortative mating on attractiveness. Psychological Science, 26, 1046-1053. [Download]

Eastwick, P. W., Luchies, L. B., Finkel, E. J., & Hunt, L. L. (2014). The many voices of Darwin's descendents: Reply to Schmitt (2014). Psychological Bulletin, 149, 673-681. [Download]

Eastwick, P. W., Luchies, L. B., Finkel, E. J., & Hunt, L. L. (2014). The predictive validity of ideal partner preferences: A review and meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 149, 623-665. [Download]

Eastwick, P. W., Neff, L. A., Finkel, E. J., Luchies, L. B., & Hunt, L. L. (2014). Is a meta-analysis a foundation or just another brick? Comment on Meltzer, McNulty, Jackson, and Karney (2014). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 106, 429-434. [Download]

Eastwick, P. W., Wilkey, B. M., Finkel, E. J., Lambert, N. M., Fitzsimons, G. M., Brown, P. C., & Fincham, F. D. (2013). Act with authority: Romantic desire at the nexus of power possessed and power perceived. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 49, 267-271. [Download]

Tidwell, N. D., Eastwick, P. W., & Finkel, E. J. (2013). Perceived, not actual, similarity predicts initial attraction in a live romantic context: Evidence from the speed-dating paradigm. Personal Relationships, 20, 199-215. [Download]

Finkel, E. J., Eastwick, P. W., Karney, B. R., Reis, H. T., & Sprecher, S. (2012). Online dating: A critical analysis from the perspective of psychological science. Psychology Science in the Public Interest, 13, 3-66. [Download]

Eastwick, P. W., Eagly, A. H., Finkel, E. J., & Johnson, S. E. (2011). Implicit and explicit preferences for physical attractiveness in a romantic partner: A double dissociation in predictive validity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101, 993-1011. [Download]

Eastwick, P. W., Finkel, E. J., & Eagly, A. H. (2011). When and why do ideal partner preferences affect the processes of initiating and maintaining romantic relationships? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 11, 1012-1032. [Download]

Ireland, M. E., Slatcher, R. B., Eastwick, P. W., Scissors, L. E., Finkel, E. J., & Pennebaker, J. W. (2011). Language style matching predicts relationship initiation and stability. Psychological Science, 22, 39-44. [Download]

Reis, H. T., Maniaci, M. R., Caprariello, P. A., Eastwick, P. W., & Finkel, E. J. (2011-a). Familiarity does indeed lead to attraction in live interaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 557-570. [Download

Reis, H. T., Maniaci, M. R., Caprariello, P. A., Eastwick, P. W., & Finkel, E. J. (2011-b). In live interaction, does familiarity promote attraction or contempt?: A reply to Norton. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 575-578. [Download]

Eastwick, P. W., Saigal, S. D., & Finkel, E. J. (2010). Smooth Operating: A Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) perspective on initial romantic encounters. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 1, 344-352. [Download]

Finkel, E. J., & Baumeister, R. F. (2010). Attraction and rejection. In R. F. Baumeister, and E. J. Finkel (Eds.), Advanced social psychology: The state of the science. New York: Oxford University Press. [Download]

Eastwick, P. W., Richeson, J. A., Son, D., & Finkel, E. J. (2009). Is love colorblind? Political orientation and interracial romantic desire. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35, 1258-1268. [Download]

Finkel, E. J., & Eastwick, P. W. (2009). Arbitrary social norms and sex differences in romantic selectivity. Psychological Science, 20, 1290-1295. [Download]

Eastwick, P. W., & Finkel, E. J. (2008a). The attachment system in fledgling relationships: An activation role for attachment anxiety. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 628-647. [Download]

Eastwick, P. W., & Finkel, E. J. (2008b). Sex differences in mate preferences revisited: Do people know what they initially desire in a romantic partner? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94, 245-264. [Download] 

Eastwick, P. W., & Finkel, E. J. (2008c). Speed-dating: A powerful and flexible paradigm for studying romantic relationship initiation. In S. Sprecher, A. Wenzel, & J. Harvey (Eds.), Handbook of relationship initiation (pp. 217-234). New York: Guilford. [Download]

Finkel, E. J., & Eastwick, P. W. (2008). Speed-dating. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17, 193-197. [Download] 

Eastwick, P. W., Finkel, E. J., Mochon, D., & Ariely, D. (2007). Selective versus unselective romantic desire: Not all reciprocity is created equal. Psychological Science, 18, 317-319. [Download]

Finkel, E. J., Eastwick, P. W., & Matthews, J. (2007). Speed-dating as an invaluable tool for studying romantic attraction: A methodological primer. Personal Relationships, 14, 149-166. [Download]