The first factor influencing relationship development is one of the most obvious yet often overlooked: proximity. You’re more likely to pursue relationships with people with whom you have frequent contact, whether face-to-face or online. This phenomenon is known as the mere exposure effect (Bornstein, 1989). For example, a coworker who works in a cubicle near yours is more likely to become a friend or romantic partner than is one who works on a different floor. Similarly, if you have a cousin whose activities you regularly follow on Twitter, you’ll be more likely to think of her as “a close family member” than “a distant relative you see only at annual family gatherings.”