Some people believe that the opposites attract each other, however, one study showed that there is a underlying “essence” that guides our interests, likes and dislikes.
The study was conducted by researchers Albert Chu and Brian S. Lowery of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and showed that social interactions can be influenced by this phenomenon.
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Chu explores the idea that when we believe that we have an essence, we tend to assume that this characteristic is present in other people.
This leads us to assume that we share not only superficial aspects, but also a broader worldview, even if this can lead to unwarranted assumptions.
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Through a series of studies, Chu analyzed how people establish connections based on perceived similarities.
To do so, participants were introduced to a fictional person named Jamie, who could agree or disagree with them on controversial topics.
It turned out that the more people believed in their own rigid essence, the more they felt connected to someone who shared opinions, and less likely to connect with those who disagreed.
In a second survey, participants were grouped based on their estimate of the number of blue dots on a page and then connected to Jamie as either overestimators or underestimators.
The results showed that, even in tenuous connections, belief in essence was associated with greater attraction to people who shared similar characteristics.
However, Chu cautioned participants about the possibility of inaccurate assessments when judging others based on their own essence in another experiment.
While searching for commonalities is a useful psychological strategy for forming communities and connections, The predominance of essentialist reasoning can also create divisions and limit people's understanding by around.
In addition to its impact on friendships and romantic relationships, the study suggests that essentialist reasoning may even influence the distribution of resources in society.
The belief that a person's fundamental characteristics determine their outcomes can impact decisions about support and resource allocation.
Therefore, as humans seek mutual understanding, it is important to remember that they too are inherently complex and have unique personalities.
In this way, assuming a shared essence can deprive people of valuable opportunities to learn and grow through interaction with those who are different.
