The cold glow of success: Responses to social rejection as affected by attitude similarity between the rejected and chosen individuals

Abstract

AbstractStudied the effects of attitudinal similarity between two males on reactions to social rejection by a female. Sixty‐five male undergraduate students had met an attitudinally similar or dissimilar male confederate. Later a female confederate either chose or did not choose the male confederate as a work partner. Following that, measures designed to tap subjects affective state and self evaluations were administered. Two way interactions for affect and self evaluations (p < 0.01 and p 7lt; 0.05 respectively) indicate that, relative to a control group, only subjects whose similar male partner was chosen expressed unfavorable affect and self‐evaluations. The relevance of these findings for the affective consequences of social comparison processes is discussed.