Similarity Hypothesis

Consider the closest friends you meet while backpacking abroad. You likely share many similarities; perhaps a thrill for spontaneity, hobbies, appreciation for culture, music preferences, or food choices. During the trip, you find yourself effortlessly interacting with other backpackers: sharing a relatively-unknown scenic route, a local exhibition to visit, or the best bed and breakfast in town. We often relate and empathize easily with similar individuals – this is a result of the similarity hypothesis.

The similarity hypothesis suggests that we tend to be drawn towards those who are similar to ourselves. Similarities can refer to shared attitudes and values, as well as political opinions, cultural background, or even minute details like posture.¹

The experience of interacting with similar individuals jumpstarts cognitive processing, like learning, memory, attention, and reasoning. An aspiring musician might remember all the lyrics to their favorite band’s albums. An employee might pick up skills more quickly when assisted by a mentor they admire or identify with. Even when it comes to making comparisons with others, we tend to look for individuals who share similar attitudes and beliefs because it can be difficult to make accurate comparisons when others are too different from us.²