Come a bit closer: Approach motor actions lead to feeling similar and behavioral assimilation

We suggest that while approaching a target, individuals are tuned to cues indicating closeness. Conversely, while avoiding a target, individuals are tuned to cues indicating distance. for social targets, this means that approach should be associated with similarities whereas avoidance should be associated with differences between the self and the target. We therefore hypothesized that executing approach (as compared to avoidance) motor actions would (a) lead participants to perceive others as psychologically more similar to themselves, and (b) trigger assimilation to the other's behavior. The first prediction was confirmed in two studies where participants rated how psychologically similar persons depicted on photos were to themselves. The second prediction-behavioral assimilation to social information while performing approach motor actions, and behavioral contrast away from social information while performing avoidance motor actions - was confirmed in study 3.