This congruence theory suggests that congruence within an interpersonal relationship would likely create mutual feelings of appreciation – or attraction. Some possible explanations for any data supporting congruence theory might include: one participant's attraction in the relationship being based on their belief in congruence with the other participant in the relationship being that of how they perceive their behavior, rather than how that participant's behavior actually is. Another explanation could be the fact that the way one perceives himself could easily be the result of his need to feel similar to the other participant, for whom he has already established an attraction. The final explanation provided by the authors is that there is a confounding variable that influences both participants' liking of each other and the measured congruence.