How we form a first impression of a person and what factors influence it.
In front of you is a person who you see for the first time. How long does it take to get your first impression of them? A few seconds? A couple of minutes? In any case, it will take no more than five minutes. After that, you know whether you are ready to initiate a new acquaintance into the secrets of your universe or to accuse them of the sins of this mortal world.
A question that may not be so easy to answer: are we, in principle, able to correctly assess the person who we see for the first time?
Each of us has our own life experiences, as well as our views, preferences and beliefs. When we communicate with a stranger for the first time, we unconsciously check if their image passes to our idea of people and life. Based on our subjective perception, we give the first assessments to the person. However, we do not have enough information to make an objective assessment. Therefore, the brain makes up what we do not know about this person, using generalizations and stereotypes. This way, we fill in the missing information and create a more convincing picture of the conversation partner. This can lead to wrong first impressions.
If we liked a new acquaintance’s appearance, we tend to consider this person as interesting, smart and pleasant. This phenomenon is the result of what is known as the “halo effect.” That is, the tendency to endow a person with positive traits based on an overall positive impression, perceiving the external attractiveness as evidence of the inner virtues. With an already formed positive image of the person, our subconscious mind collects incoming information about them, confirming this very image.
In contrast to the halo effect, there is a “horn effect.” It appears when a stranger leaves a negative impression. The negative impression automatically spreads to its entire image and instantly worsens the person in our eyes. As a result, our assessment of a person is immediately distorted, and we do not even think to give them a chance to dispel such ominous ideas about them.
We can easily fall into the trap of these cognitive biases when:
- we are overloaded with information about various people. We don’t have time to get acquainted with the object of attention thoroughly;
- we have a stereotype about a particular group of people to which a person may belong;
- we find someone charismatic or physically attractive.
Very often, we are far from the ideal of accuracy when judging people for the first time. The first impression is like a mirage that leads you astray, deceivingly promising to make it clear in a matter of seconds what kind of person is in front of you. Therefore, it is worthwhile to take another look and make a second impression to not fall into the trap of your mind.