Based on what I've read the "Mere Exposure" effect or "The Mermaid Theory" as Barney named it in How I Met Your Mother, it is a phenomenon in psychology where people tend to choose someone over the other that appears to be more familiar to them. The more the often you see someone the pleasant or trustworthy it will appear to the you.
But in How I Met Your Mother, Barney explained it to Marshall like this. For example you and your bro are stranded in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and then both of you tend to capture a mermaid. At first you don't like the mermaid because of its physical appearance but then as time goes by the more you see that mermaid the more you are attracted to it.
The first article that I've read about the "Mere Exposure" or "The Mermaid Theory" is the How I Met Your Mother: Mere Exposure and the "Mermaid Theory" by Dr. Dylan Selterman. It says that psychologists discovered that simply being close in physical proximity to another person increases liking and attractiveness for that person. An example of which are those college students that uses COED dorms or in the school classroom or in a school department, they tend to like familiar person that they can see regularly than those people that are mere strangers to them even without actual confrontation or communication with one another. Scientist call these the "Mere Exposure" effect. The more time spent together or near someone, the more people feel that they know or trust that person more and feel comfortable being around him/her. This feeling of familiarity contributes to attraction.
I would relate it to the unusual relationship with Ted and Zoey. Despite their initial hatred feelings for each other.(its because Zoey tried to sabotage Ted's dream job) and despite the fact Zoey was married to the Captain, the two of them eventually came to a conclusion and express their feelings of love that seemed to have come out of nowhere. Maybe because of their time spent together as friends led to increased the attraction and intimacy to one another despite of all the hatred each of one does to each other. Although we are likely to feel attracted to people we regularly see, scientists have yet to determine whether relationships based on proximity are likely to be successful or lasting. Mere exposure may turn people from friends into lovers (like Ted and Zoey) but will they live happily ever after ?
The Second article that I've read is about Mere Exposure Effect Psychology by M.Farouk Radwan, MSc. It states that according to psychology the more we get to exposed to someone or something the more we tend to like it. The mere exposure effect is applicable for both people and objects. If you saw an object many times or a picture of it you will think that it will be more likable than the other object or picture that you didn't see that much. When you see a person more often you think that he/she is more likable than a stranger that you just saw or someone you see less often. And the reason why we find people we see often or regularly more attractive is that familiarity creates likability. According to the mere exposure effect theory people who see you often will think that you are more attractive than the people they don't encounter often. And most people fall in love with someone they see often and certainly the main reason behind that is the mere exposure effect. For example Advertisers are aware of this facts and that's why they depend on the psychology of the mere exposure effect to make you like their product even more. Advertisers display their ads every now and then in order to make you become more familiar with their products and as you become familiar with the product you tend to like it. People are more likely to try something they are familiar with than taking the risk of trying something they know nothing about. It feels more comfortable to go for a well known brand then to buy something that is unfamiliar.
According to Barney In How I Met Your Mother, men will eventually feel sexually attracted to women simply as a result of spending time with them, even if they initially don’t find these women attractive at all. Even the least physically attractive people ("manatees") will eventually look like mermaids. Also Barney predicted that Marshall will one day feel attracted to his female secretary simply because she works in his office even his secretary is unattractive, and that's the main reason why Marshall doesn't want to hangout with Robin even though they are close friends. He is worried that someday he will be attracted to Robin simply because they hang out a lot.
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