SELF-DISCLOSURE AND LIKING - A METAANALYTIC REVIEW

Self-disclosure plays a central role in the development and maintenanc e of relationships. One way that researchers have explored these proce sses is by studying the links between self-disclosure and liking. Usin g meta-analytic procedures, the present work sought to clarify and rev iew this literature by evaluating the evidence for 3 distinct disclosu re-liking effects. Significant disclosure-liking relations were found for each effect: (a) People who engage in intimate disclosures tend to be liked more than people who disclose at lower levels, (b) people di sclose more to those whom they-initially like, and (c) people like oth ers as a result of having disclosed to them. In addition, the relation between disclosure and liking was moderated by a number of variables, including study paradigm, type of disclosure, and gender of the discl oser. Taken together, these results suggest that various disclosure-li king effects can be integrated and viewed as operating together within a dynamic interpersonal system. Implications for theory development a re discussed, and avenues for future research are suggested.