Self–other similarity judgment asymmetries reverse for people to whom you want to be similar

People typically judge themselves to be less similar to others than others are to themselves. The selective accessibility model [Mussweiler, T. (2003). Comparison process in social judgement: mechanical consequences. Psychological Review, 110, 472–489.] suggests that the direction of this self–other similarity asymmetry could reverse for comparison others to whom people want to be more similar. Motivation to be more similar is thought to prompt a focal hypothesis of similarity as opposed to dissimilarity, which influences the amount and kind of information accessed when making the judgment. A study found a typical asymmetry for comparison others to whom participants did not wish to be more similar, and a reversed asymmetry for comparison others to whom participants did wish to be more similar. The direction of the asymmetry was not dependent on whether participants knew a lot or a little about the comparison other.