What traits allow some people to breeze through a party while others get stuck overthinking every move? Is it because some folks have natural charisma or are simply more adept at conversation<\/a>? Others have a hard time finding things to say and aren\u2019t sure who to approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oxford University alum Dr. Josie A Peters<\/a>, who posts about science<\/a> on TikTok, recently shared a study<\/a> showing that being likable in social situations comes down to having the right mindset. She says it starts with believing that people will like you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe researchers were testing this thing called the acceptance prophecy, where essentially, whether you assume that people like you or not, you\u2019re right,\u201d Peters says. The researchers asked participants whether they expected others to like them before a social gathering, then showed videos of those participants to other students, asking, \u201cWould you like to hang out with this person?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The results? \u201cThey found that the people who had expected other people to like them were right,\u201d Peters says. \u201cNow you may be thinking, is that not just because these people were very good at socializing and very popular, and you know they\u2019ve got past evidence. No! Even if you viewed yourself as somebody who\u2019s not particularly good at socializing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why is it that people can correctly predict whether they will be liked or disliked in a social situation? \u201cIf you expected it to go well, then it did because you became warmer and more friendly, your body language opened up, whereas if you anticipated that people weren\u2019t gonna like you, people became colder and more insular,\u201d Peters continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, entering a social situation expecting to be liked makes you more open and sociable, even for those who typically feel awkward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf people expect acceptance, they will behave warmly, which in turn will lead other people to accept them; if they expect rejection, they will behave coldly, which will lead to less acceptance,\u201d the researchers wrote in the study<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
What is the acceptance prophecy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"woman](\"https:\/\/www.upworthy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/origin_5a2ec5.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIf you think you\u2019re likable, people will like you<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"guys](\"https:\/\/www.upworthy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/origin_4318ef.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSocial optimist or social pessimist?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n