Allow space for people to defy or outgrow initial judgments—whether you’re leading a student group or participating in a team project. With consistent behavior and emotional connection, you can reshape someone’s initial judgment over time. That said, the effort required to reverse a negative impression is significantly higher than MeetWithMature reinforcing a positive one. Out of the 20 articles we reviewed, we classified 10 as using primarily a single global measure, seven as using a componential approach, and three as relying on combinations of both. The choice of conceptualization and measure are typically reasonably justified by theory and/or previous research and follow logically from the studied questions.
Accuracy
People tend to get attached to their initial impressions of others and find it difficult to change their opinion, even when presented with evidence to the contrary. Research shows that people often base their initial impressions of someone based on their appearance, including factors like clothing, gender, age, and race (Zebrowitz, 2017). Our work followed a strict protocol but also entails a strong qualitative component. This more descriptive than statistical format is explained by the overall small number of peer-reviewed studies addressing the meta-accuracy of first impressions formed without previous acquaintance.
How Much Do First Impressions Really Matter?
It’s important to remember that these are proclivities and tendencies and not inevitable conclusions any given person will draw. However, let’s begin with a few things that affect first impressions. And perhaps the most valuable lesson is that we do not have to dismiss our first impressions. We simply have to remember that they are just that—first impressions. Our brains are very efficient at making predictions, but efficiency does not always equal accuracy. This is perhaps the most important part of understanding first impressions.
When participants read personality descriptions beginning with positive traits (“intelligent, industrious, impulsive, critical, stubborn, envious”), they formed more favorable impressions than when the same traits were presented in reverse order. Your brain doesn’t gradually build an impression – it creates a complete psychological profile almost instantaneously, then spends additional time either confirming or slightly adjusting this initial assessment. Participants were shown photographs of unfamiliar faces for different amounts of time. Some faces were shown for only 100 milliseconds, or one-tenth of a second. They were then asked to judge characteristics such as attractiveness, likeability, trustworthiness, competence, and aggressiveness. First impressions are part of a broader psychological process called social perception, during which we notice, interpret, and make sense of other people.
- True, the cat sitter might only be coming to your house for a few days or that online purchaser might very well pick up the item, pay you, and leave without ever seeing you again.
- In a way, novel models, such as the SAM, do provide the means to study such questions, and the understanding of the meta-accuracy of first impressions would benefit from a systematic investigation on the matter.
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- They took a very complex ecosystem and created a series of interventions using an innovative mix of the latest research and creative client co-creation.
The researchers gathered six different pictures (varying in lighting, pose, etc.) of 28 different individuals and had them rated for attractiveness by a group of participants. The attractiveness ratings were reported on a Likert scale from 1 (not attractive) to 7 (very attractive). Based on the average ratings across participants, the researchers sorted the six images of each identity based on their attractiveness. On the flip side, there’s the Horn Effect, where one negative trait colors your entire perception of a person. If someone rubs you the wrong way initially, you might start seeing everything they do in a negative light, even if they’re not actually that bad.
Funder (1995) discusses common problems with defining and measuring interpersonal accuracy and proposes the Realistic Accuracy Model whose aim is to resolve many of these problems. The model also discusses moderators of interpersonal accuracy, such as the qualities of the perceiver, target, trait of interest, and the information involved. The truth is, first impressions are often shaped by a psychological process called thin-slicing, where our brains make quick, subconscious assessments based on limited information such as appearance, body language, and tone of voice. These judgments, while fast, can carry surprising weight in our social and professional lives. The halo effect can have significant implications in various settings.
To sum up, there’s no way to avoid making decisions about people, whether you’re the judger or the one being judged. Knowing the limitations of the judging process can help you turn your first impression into your best impression. Putting yourself in the position of the one to be hired or trusted, you also know that decisions involving your fate can have significant implications. In the case of seeking employment, if a job interview goes badly, you can suffer economic consequences that make your life difficult as you’re trying to make ends meet.
Expert Judgment Makes Science Stronger
Elements like eye contact, posture, gestures, and facial expressions are critical in establishing trustworthiness and likability. According to research published in the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior (2022), students who maintained open posture and consistent eye contact during group presentations were rated as more confident and competent by peers. However, most people we judge as familiar don’t remind us of anyone in particular. Rather, it’s just a vague sense that they look like the other people we hang around with—specifically, members of the same family, race, and ethnicity. My family members all look sort of like me, and I like them more than your family members (even though they’re probably quite nice, too).