Circumventing anxiety during interpersonal encounters to promote interest in contact: An implementation intention approach

Interactions with new acquaintances are often filled with anxiety that can reduce the desire for long-term contact. The present research tested whether providing participants with implementation intentions (“if-then” plans) that specify how to act when feeling anxious boosted interest in sustained contact and close interpersonal distance. Implementation intentions led to increased interest in sustained contact during anxiety-provoking interactions in the laboratory (Study 1) and daily interracial interactions (Study 2). They also led to closer interpersonal distance in anticipation of interracial interactions (Study 3). Implementation intentions were more effective than forming goal-directed responses (Studies 1, 2, & 3), or not forming a self-regulation strategy (Studies 2 & 3), and were effective over multiple interactions and across time, despite being learned only once (Study 2). Participants across conditions reported similar levels of anxiety, suggesting that promoting an interest in sustained contact can be accomplished without reducing anxiety, but rather, by shielding individuals from the negative effects of anxiety during social interactions.