PHWatching two people interact can make attraction look obvious from the outside.
But researchers tested whether third-party observers could actually detect attraction by watching videos from real speed dates.
Across three studies, observers generally couldn't reliably determine whether an individual dater was attracted to the other person.
Making the clips longer didn't solve the problem.
Neither did showing different portions of the interaction.
There was one interesting exception: observers performed above chance when both daters were mutually interested, compared with cases where they weren't.
So your friends watching you talk to your crush may not be as good at reading the situation as they think.
© Current Psychology (2023)
But researchers tested whether third-party observers could actually detect attraction by watching videos from real speed dates.
Across three studies, observers generally couldn't reliably determine whether an individual dater was attracted to the other person.
Making the clips longer didn't solve the problem.
Neither did showing different portions of the interaction.
There was one interesting exception: observers performed above chance when both daters were mutually interested, compared with cases where they weren't.
So your friends watching you talk to your crush may not be as good at reading the situation as they think.
© Current Psychology (2023)