The Use and Interpretation of Tie Signs in a Public Setting: Relationship and Sex Differences

Abstract

This investigation increases our understanding of the uses of nonverbal tie signs in cross-sex friendships and dating relationships, and addresses the role that these displays play in the experience of these two relationships. Specifically, we (i) observed the behavior of cross-sex friends and daters in college bars (study 1), (ii) asked individuals to assess the reasons why they used affection displays in college bars with either a friend of the opposite sex or a dating partner (study 2), and (iii) asked participants for their perceptions of why their dating partner or cross-sex friend uses affection displays with them when at a college bar (study 3). We examined the influence of sex and relationship type in each of these domains. The results significantly extend past research on tie signs and cross-sex friendships by incorporating observational data of tie signs with sender and receiver perceptions of the functions underlying these observed behaviors.