Tessa WestProfessor of Psychology, New York University · Professor of Psychology, New York University

2009 Trail InterracialRoommateRelationships

PDF · 6 Oct 2026

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The article investigates how daily interactions between same‑sex college freshman roommates of the same race versus different races affect emotional experiences, intimacy, and desire for future contact. Using a 15‑day daily‑diary design with 79 randomly assigned roommate dyads (28 cross‑race, 51 same‑race), the authors measured positive and negative emotions, intimacy, desire to live together again, and perceived intimacy‑building (positive) and intimacy‑distancing (negative) behaviors. Analyses employed dyadic growth‑curve models for indistinguishable dyads and mediation models based on West, Popp, & Kenny (2008). Key findings: (1) Mixed‑race dyads reported lower positive emotions and intimacy than same‑race dyads; minority students with White roommates showed a decline in positive emotions over time. (2) Perceived intimacy‑building behaviors mediated the relationship between dyad racial composition and all outcomes (positive mood, intimacy, desire to co‑live), largely eliminating the direct dyad effect. (3) Intimacy‑distancing behaviors also mediated outcomes but to a lesser extent and did not interact with time. (4) Over time, perceived intimacy‑building behaviors declined for White‑minority dyads, especially from the White partner, while intimacy‑distancing remained stable. The discussion links results to Reis & Shaver’s interpersonal process model of intimacy, suggesting that the omission of positive behaviors, rather than the presence of negative ones, drives the poorer experiences in interracial roommate relationships. The authors consider implications for university housing policies, contact theory, and the broader literature on intergroup anxiety and aversive racism, noting limitations such as potential diary reactivity, self‑report bias, and the college context, and calling for longer‑term and more diverse settings in future work.