Kassin, S., Fein, S., & Markus, H. R. (2021). Social Psychology (11th ed.). Cengage.

Attraction

• Why are we so attracted to some people but not other people?

• What determines how our intimate relationships evolve over time?

• What does it mean to love someone and what problems are likely to arise along the way

Need to belong

• A basic human motive

• We as people care what others think of us

• People who have close social ties tend to be: happier, healthier, and more satisfied with life

Thrill of Affiliation

• There is a need for affiliation.

  • A desire to make and keep interpersonal relationships

• People differ in the strength of their need for affiliation

• Stress makes the need for affiliation more needed

• Being alone and feeling lonely

  • This motivates people of all

The Agony of Loneliness

• People seek out the company of others (even strangers) in times of stress

• Loneliness: a feeling of deprivation about existing social relations (Kassin, S., Fein, S., & Markus, H. R. (2021). Social Psychology (11th ed.). Cengage.)

• Being shy DOES contribute to social isolation

• There are many different ways to cope with being lonely

• Three factors of loneliness

  • Intimate, relational, and collective

Initial attraction

• We are attracted to others with whom a relationship is directly or indirectly rewarding.

• All humans exhibit patterns of attraction and mate selection that favor the conception, birth, and survival of their offspring.

  • Evolutionary perspective

• The way that people meet has transformed in an explosive way as a result of online dating services such as Match.