This study explores the effects that political conversations and interpersonal interactions have on individual feelings of closeness, connectedness, and perceived cohesion within society. It uses a novel approach in order to examine the influence of nonverbal cues during political discussions of salient societal issues. Participants are recruited via Respondi, an online panel provider in Germany, and invited to participate in a virtual discussion. By analyzing the video recordings, participants’ behavior and nonverbal expressions, such as emotional facial expressions, are examined. It is hypothesized that the perception of congruent political attitudes among participants lead to higher reports of closeness compared to those who perceive the political attitudes as being heterogenous or even divergent. It is further assumed that mirroring behavior and emotional mimicry increase the reported feelings of closeness and connectedness. The occurrence of emotional expressions during the discussion could also moderate the impact that political attitudes have on reported feelings of closeness; affiliative emotions could mitigate the effect of divergent political views, whereas antagonist emotions could heighten their impact. This study can shed some light on the dynamic of interpersonal interactions and facilitate identifying factors that could potentially bridge the divide between polarized citizens.