Biased first impressions yield positive illusions that facilitate friendship initiation

Quality friendships are highly beneficial, yet relatively little research has identified processes that facilitate the initiation of friendships. One process that motivates relationship maintenance—forming positive illusions about another person—may also occur when interacting with strangers and similarly motivate friendship initiation. We tested this idea in three studies. Study 1 was a dyadic observational study of strangers who had introductory conversations with one another. In Studies 2–3, participants evaluated strangers’ profiles on an online friendship service that was ostensibly being developed. Results indicated that people who were more motivated to form friendships were more likely to form positive illusions about strangers (Studies 2–3) and people were more likely to desire friendship from those strangers to the extent that they formed positive illusions about them (Studies 1–3). Together, these results suggest that people generate positive illusions about unfamiliar others and those illusions increase their desire to form friendships with them.