Valentine’s Day is around the corner and people can’t wait to celebrate the day of love with their partners. Sometimes, when people are into a relationship they tend to think that their partner has started disliking them or are getting away from them. This not only happens with committed people but also with singles. Singles when meet up a person for the first time tend to think that they did not leave a good impression.
Sometimes people tend to underestimate the number of people who like them from the first meeting as compared to the actual number. This feeling leads to ‘Liking Gap.’ In the year 2018, a study was published by universities of Harvard and Pennsylvania and in the same research paper there was mention of ‘Liking Gap.’ Liking Gap is when we systematically underestimate how much a new person or colleague likes us and enjoyed their first conversation with us.
How is liking gap created?
When a person meets up someone for the first time they tend to think that they did not leave a good impression on the other person. This makes the first person interact less or talk restrictedly with the person he/she met. This different between the two of them creates a liking gap.
Where does it take place more often?
This Liking Gap is mostly witnessed at workplaces. The research found that the 'liking' gap is the widest post an initial conversation among colleagues or friends. This leads to less productivity, negativity while working, etc at the workplace. Moreover, negative perceptions also decrease team effectiveness and result in less job satisfaction.
How can liking gap be reduced?
There is a very simple way to reduce the liking gap. It starts as there are less conversations and more perceptions. So, the best way to reduce liking gap is keep on talking normally to the people who have just met once. As you get to know more about each other the liking gap diminishes.