Getting Acquainted: The Relationship of Self-Disclosure and Social Attraction to Positive Affect

This study examined the association between social relationship facilitation and affect. Young adults who did not know one another engaged in brief, get-acquainted conversations. Participants rated their positive affect and negative affect before and after conversations. After conversations, participants also rated their self-disclosure, social attraction to partners, and contribution to the conversation relative to their partners. In support of the hypotheses, positive affect increased from before to after conversations, and greater self-disclosure and social attraction predicted the increase in positive affect. A greater contribution, however, did not predict the increase in positive affect but did predict the significant decrease in negative affect. These results support Baumeister and Leary's (1995) proposed need for social relationships in which positive affect accompanies relationship facilitation.