Most of us know “that person” who just won’t give us the time of day. At the office, in the neighborhood, during family gatherings, they avoid interaction. Every time you try to strike up a conversation, it seems to be a non-starter. Is there any way to break the ice? As tempting as it would be to just throw in the towel, if it is important to build a relationship with an emotionally distant person, either personally or professionally, you can. Wedding Affair brings to you some simple tips to tackle an emotionally distant person.
Rapport Builds Relationship
True to cliché, in most instances where your friendly overtures are met with indifference or dismissal, the problem is not you, it’s them. Yet even the most independent, self-sufficient, autonomous individuals can be transformed from reticent to responsive when your interaction satisfies their psychological needs. And because motives matter, authenticity makes you both attractive and approachable.
Rapport has three primary components: positive affect, mutual attention, and the level of coordination between interactional partners. They describe all three as similar to positivity resonance—such as mutual care, shared positive emotion, and bio-behavioral synchrony. They further note that perceived positivity resonance has been found to be related to positive emotions and mental health, and linked to less illness, depressive symptoms, and loneliness.
Bonding With Acquaintances
Who can you bond with? Thankfully, closeness is not a rapport prerequisite. This seems to indicate that you might be just as successful bonding with a distant co-worker as a family member. We routinely interact with people who are not close because casual relationships are less burdensome in terms of both creation and maintenance. Nonetheless, their results suggest that the unique relationship between rapport and psychological needs takes place across time and relational perception, between individuals, and internally. The fact that these associations did not differ depending on relationship type or level of intimacy suggests all relationships are potentially important ways to satisfy psychological and emotional needs.
On The Same Page
Winning emotionally distant people over requires more than words. A sense of shared reality is produced not just from exchanging information. But from subjectively perceiving the experience of a smooth, flowing conversation. They describe conversation partners as being on the same wavelength experiencing shared reality due to the visceral sensation produced by conversational flow. Whether we recognize it or not, this type of lack of conversation flow can unconsciously create an interpersonal barrier. Apparently, approaching the unapproachable requires planning and preparation, as well as genuine respect. But if it is important to connect, there are ways to create chemistry through contact and conversation.
