Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2015

Publication Title

Social Science Journal

Volume

52

Issue

2

First Page

239

Last Page

247

ISSN

0362-3319

DOI

10.1016/j.soscij.2015.01.005

Keywords

factor analysis; friendship formation; interpersonal chemistry; relationship initiation

Abstract

Interpersonal chemistry refers to a connection between two individuals that exists upon first meeting. The goal of the current study is to identify beliefs about the underlying components of friendship chemistry. Individuals respond to an online Friendship Chemistry Questionnaire containing items that are derived from interdependence theory and the friendship formation literature. Participants are randomly divided into two subsamples. A principal axis factor analysis with promax rotation is performed on subsample 1 (n = 688) and produces 5 factors: Reciprocal candor, mutual interest, personableness, similarity, and physical attraction. A confirmatory factor analysis is conducted using subsample 2 (n = 715) and provides support for the 5-factor model. Participants with agreeable, open, and conscientious personalities more commonly report experiencing friendship chemistry, as do those who are female, young, and European/white. Responses from participants who have never experienced chemistry (n = 42) are qualitatively analyzed. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

Comments

This is the peer-reviewed version of the following article: Campbell, K., Holderness, N., & Riggs, M. (2015). Friendship chemistry: An examination of underlying factors. The Social Science Journal, 52(2), 239-247. which was published onlin at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0362331915000245

This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0

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