Social anxiety and liking

Towards understanding the role of metaperceptions in first impressions

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6206523
AutoresHasagani Tissera (0000-0003-1337-7416, McGill University), Lauren Gazzard Kerr (0000-0001-8976-6229, McGill University), Erika N Carlson (0009-0006-6058-8821, University of Toronto), Lauren J Human (0000-0001-8384-2075, McGill University)
Año2021
Volumen121
Número4
Páginas948-968
Fecha de publicación2021-10-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Personality and Social Psychology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0022-3514 • E-ISSN: 1939-1315
EditorialAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037/pspp0000363
PMID32852974
OpenAlexW3081814121
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas20

A core component of social anxiety is the constant concern about what others think of the self. Could such metaperceptions-beliefs about how others view the self-play a role in relationship initiation attempts? In the present research, we examined whether metaperceptions may contribute to why people higher in social anxiety experience difficulties in initial interactions. In 2 first-impressions contexts, a platonic getting-acquainted context (Study 1: N = 544; 2,878 dyads) and a speed dating context (Study 2: N = 376; 4,797 dyads), we explored the roles of 2 components of metaperceptions: meta-positivity (i.e., believing interaction partners' perceptions of the self are in line with the socially desirable personality profile) and distinctive meta-accuracy (i.e., accurately recognizing interaction partners' unique perception of the self, controlling for meta-positivity). Results revealed that people higher in social anxiety were liked less by interaction partners across both contexts, a link that was partially accounted for by lower distinctive meta-accuracy displayed by those higher in social anxiety. Further, lower meta-positivity displayed by people higher in social anxiety also contributed to the links between greater social anxiety and being liked less in the platonic setting and liking others less in both contexts. In sum, metaperceptions may play an important role in shaping initial interactions, potentially helping to explain why people with greater social anxiety encounter difficulties forming new relationships. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

Anxiety · Context (archaeology) · Developmental psychology · Impression formation · MEDLINE · Perception · Personality · PsycINFO · Social anxiety · Social environment · Social perception · Social relation · Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Perfectionism, Procrastination, Anxiety Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology