Personal relationships are driven by several factors according to research. These include:
1. Homophily - the tendency for people to be attracted to and bond with those similar to themselves.
2. The transference effect - where people immediately feel attraction or disliking towards others due to unconscious associations.
3. The propinquity effect - familiarity and proximity increase attraction as people interact more with those geographically or situationally close to them like neighbors or coworkers.