APS
2026 APS Annual Convention
“We Just Clicked:” Shared Reality Sparks Conversational Connection
What kinds of conversations spark instant connection? Four talks using diverse, cutting-edge methodologies from conversation science (e.g., LLM-powered text analyses, speed-dating paradigms, human-AI interactions, and controlled experiments) present converging evidence that jointly constructing a shared reality—a private world together in conversation—is a powerful source of interpersonal closeness.
Chairs & Discussants
- Maya Rossignac-MilonChair
IESE Business School - Catalina EnestromCoChair
IESE Business School
Presentations
- The Spark: Shared Reality Predicts Romantic AttractionMaya Rossignac-Milon, Chang Lu, Katherine Zee, Niall Bolger, Joy McClure, Paul Eastwick, et al.
- From Talk to Telepathy: The Spontaneous Use of Insider Language In Casual ConversationEmma Templeton, Luke Chang, Marie Cone LeBeaumont, Erik Nook, Dawson Haddox, Eliot Aiman, et al.
- Interactional Role Dynamics Predict Shared Reality In Dyadic ConversationEmma Miller, Jack LaViolette, Maya Rossignac-Milon, Peter Bearman, Niall Bolger, E. Tory Higgins
- Call-Backs: Verbal Signals of Listening, Care, and Competence during ConversationMichael Yeomans, Hanne Collins, Yaoxi Shi, Maurice Schweitzer, Alison Wood Brooks
