Research conducted by Miller (1990) found that social interaction with the opposite sex is linked to higher levels of empathy for both boys and girls. Even though males tend to be socialized to avoid intimacy, they are capable of interacting intimately when they believe it would be effective to do so (K. E. Miller, 1990; Reis, Senchak, & Solomon, 1985). In short, while interacting with females, males often exhibit more personal sharing behaviors and a greater expression of feelings (Aries, 1981; R. Miller, 1990). Though females exhibit higher levels of empathy towards the same sex than do males, females still exhibit higher levels of empathy towards the opposite sex. Ultimately, R. Miller (1990) asserts that because the adolescent is more likely to respond to the opposite sex with empathy, increased levels of opposite-sex social interaction will generally lead to more well-developed empathetic abilities.