Mere exposure effect
We don't always like what we see. Sometimes we like it because we see it.
A widely replicated effect since the 1960s, confirmed by meta-analysis. It has limits: too much repetition can lead to boredom.
Sound familiar?
The first time you heard that summer hit, you thought it was awful. By the tenth time, you catch yourself humming it. The song hasn't changed: you have.
What it is
The mere exposure effect means that the more often we encounter something (a face, a word, a logo, a tune), the more we tend to like it, even if nothing else happens. Repetition alone is enough.
A common explanation is that familiar things are easier for us to process and, from an evolutionary point of view, something we've already seen without it harming us is probably safe.
The experiment
In 1968, psychologist Robert Zajonc showed participants made-up words that looked Turkish and characters resembling Chinese ones, some just once and others up to 25 times.1 He then asked them what they thought the words meant. The more often they had seen a word, the more positive they thought its meaning was.
In 1992, a study took the idea into the classroom.3 Four women of similar appearance attended a university lecture course a different number of times (0, 5, 10 or 15), without talking to anyone. At the end of the course, students were shown their photos: the more often a woman had attended, the more attractive and likeable she seemed, even though hardly anyone remembered seeing her.
What we know today
A meta-analysis by Robert Bornstein reviewed two decades of studies and confirmed that the effect is robust.2 It also found something curious: the effect is especially strong when stimuli are shown so briefly that we aren't even aware of having seen them.
It does have limits, though: with too many repetitions the effect stops growing and boredom can set in.
Myth vs. reality
Myth "If you keep showing up, anyone will end up liking you."
Reality Familiarity helps, but it doesn't work miracles. The effect is moderate, it has a ceiling, and it's no substitute for respect or mutual interest.
In everyday life
- Advertising and social media: seeing an ad or a face many times can make you like it more, even without deciding to.
- Give a second chance to a song, a food or a person that didn't win you over at first.
- Bonds take time: regularly crossing paths in the same places helps friendships form.
Sources
- Zajonc, R. B. (1968). Attitudinal effects of mere exposure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 9(2, Pt. 2), 1–27. doi.org/10.1037/h0025848
- Bornstein, R. F. (1989). Exposure and affect: Overview and meta-analysis of research, 1968–1987. Psychological Bulletin, 106(2), 265–289. doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.106.2.265
- Moreland, R. L., & Beach, S. R. (1992). Exposure effects in the classroom: The development of affinity among students. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 28(3), 255–276. doi.org/10.1016/0022-1031(92)90055-O