Abstract
This study compared the effects of attractiveness and expressivity on liking at three important stages in a relationship: (a) at zero-acquaintance, (b) after a five-minute getting-to-know-you conversation, and finally (c) after becoming well-acquainted with one another. We formed unacquainted groups of participants (N = 81) and over a period of nine weeks (40 + hours of total contact) had them engage in group activities spanning work, play, eating, and conflict. At zero acquaintance, attractive targets were liked more, a direct replication of prior literature. After the first conversation, this effect was still present. Self-reported expressivity also predicted liking after a five-minute conversation. By nine weeks of acquaintanceship, both self-reported expressivity and observer-rated expressiveness predicted liking in addition to attractiveness. We interpret this finding to suggest that these nonverbal behavioral qualities that are chronically embedded throughout one’s behavioral stream must be notable given their effects on liking remained predictive even after interactants learned about their group members’ other characteristics over the course of a relationship.