I think you might like me

Feeling accepted by others is a fundamental human motive and an important marker of successful social interactions. This interpersonal perception, known as meta-liking, is especially relevant during adolescence, when peer relationships deepen and expand. However, knowledge is limited regarding meta-liking formation in initial social interactions. This study investigated whether adolescents ( N = 293, M age = 15.48, 61.10% female) have default expectations for meta-liking at zero acquaintance and how these judgments are updated during initial group interactions. Specifically, we used latent change models to examine how personality traits predicted initial meta-liking and whether personality and social interaction experiences were linked to changes in meta-liking judgments throughout an interaction. Our findings revealed three key insights: First, meta-liking increased gradually over the course of the interaction, with substantial individual differences in both default meta-liking and change scores. Second, extraversion, neuroticism, and self-esteem predicted initial meta-liking. Third, liking others was also linked to initial meta-liking and early changes, while meta-liking changes toward the end of the interaction occurred independent of all these features and were not predicted by expressive behaviors of interaction partners. This study represents a first empirical test of default expectations and updates in meta-liking based on personality characteristics and social interaction experiences in initial social interactions. We discuss our results in terms of a broader framework for understanding how metaperceptions are formed and updated early in the acquaintance process. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)

Big Five personality traits · Developmental psychology · Extraversion and introversion · Feeling · Impression formation · Interpersonal relationship · Meta-analysis · Neuroticism · Perception · Personality · PsycINFO · Social perception · Social relation · Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Mental Health Research Topics · Psychology · Social Psychology

• How Well Do We Know How Others See Us? A Systematic Review of Meta‐Accuracy Across Relational Contexts, Research Foci, Attribute Domains, and Measurement Approaches

  Open Access•Craig Harper, Melissa Cameron et al.•Journal of Personality•2026

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