We’ve all felt that spark before. When you meet someone you just know you’ve got a great connection with. Sure, it doesn’t always lead to love but in those first moments, you know it’s ‘something’.
Well, apparently it extends not only to potential lovers, but to friends too!
Kelly Campbell, a psychology professor at California State University, San Bernardino, says we form a compilation of several judgments about that person and whether they’ll be a good friend to you. “When you first see the person, you don’t realise how many judgments you’re making, but you’re actually gathering information that’s telling you if this person fills those needs for you,” she says.
Campbell also headed up a study in The Social Science Journal on “friendship chemistry.”
She defined it as “an instant connection between friends that is easy and makes the relationship seem natural.”
It found the feeling wasn’t always mutual (awkward!), and those who said they’d experienced it were more likely to be highly agreeable and open.
The study also found it was more likely to happen with female participants, perhaps because women are seen to be more in tune with their emotions.
We definitely think there’s something in it. After all, first impressions can sometimes be hard to shake, whether they’re good or bad!
