This study sought to investigate if there was a greater number of negative terms used to describe people than positive terms. They asked participants to come up with terms to describe people that they like and don't like and know-well and don't know-well.

Terms for Describing Disliked Others is More Differentiated Than Those for Liked Others

We tend to have more knowledge about people we like compared to those that we dislike. Intuitively, one would think if we have more knowledge about various individuals we would see them as being more unique. However, research suggest this is not always true. This series of studies investigated if people tend to view liked others as more similar to themselves and others when compared to disliked others despite having more knowledge about them. 

My Friends Are All Alike: Liking and Similarity  

A study that investigated the differences in our construct systems in how we view liked and disliked co-workers. They looked at the role of cognitive differentiation, gender, job level, and upward mobility. 

Liked and Disliked Co-Workers

Relates to how we use traits to describe people we like and don't like

Alma College

Relates to how we use traits to describe others

Traits and Personality/Person Descriptions

Leising, D., Ostrovski, O., & Borkenau, P. (2012). Vocabulary for describing disliked persons is more differentiated than vocabulary for describing liked persons. Journal of Research in Personality, 46(4), 393-396.

Vocabulary for Describing Disliked People is More Differentiated than Vocabulary for Describing Liked People

Traits for Liked and Disliked Others

Pertains to how we include other's trait knowledge in construction of our own traits and personality

Inclusion of Other's in Self Trait Descriptions

Investigated how ratings of importance, social desirability, observability, stateness versus traitness, level of abstraction, and base rate are associated with one another and usage. Participants were asked to provide terms that described individuals they knew.

Terms Used to Describe Personality

Individuals will feel most authentic when acting in accordance with their traits.

Trait-consistency Hypothesis of Authenticity

Individuals would feel more authentic when they act in accordance with certain traits, such as extraversion and  agreeableness, regardless of the actor’s corresponding traits. 

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