Romantic Attraction
Feelings of infatuation, love, and emotional desire for another person
Matching Phenomenon
The tendency for partners in an intimate relationship to be similar in physical appearance
Vertical Attribute
A quality on which people can be ranked hierarchically
Horizontal Attribute
A quality on which people can differ without being judged better or worse than anyone else
Complementarity
The state of being complementary; in the context of romantic attraction, the idea that people are attracted to those who have qualities that they themselves lack
Unrequited Love
Romantic attraction that is not reciprocated; there is no mutual interest on the part of the other person
Stalking
Unwanted and disturbing attention from someone seeking to start, or continue, a romantic relationship
Speed Dating
An arranged social event where unacquainted people talk briefly with every potential romantic partner each person identifies which others he or she wishes to see again; if that wish is reciprocated, a date can be arranged
Misattribution of Arousal
The tendency to mistakenly believe that physical or sexual arousal stemming from one cause is actually the result of another cause; a source of situational effects on romantic attraction
Mate Selection
The process through which a committed relationship is formed
Proceptivity
Anticipatory behaviours of receptiveness or availability, such as nonverbal signals, shown by one person to another to indicate that it would be acceptable to initiate a conversation
Behavioural Synchrony
The tendency for partners who are mutually attracted to unconsciously mimic each other’s movements and gestures
Social Penetration Theory
A theory describing how the breadth and depth of personal self-disclosures exchanged by two people affect the development of the relationship between them
Disclosure Reciprocity
Responding to someone’s personal disclosure by immediately revealing something equally personal
Hooking Up
Having a physical counter with the understanding that there is no expectation of any further involvement
Also called fling, one-night stand
