Whether it be the first day of school or a job interview, first impressions greatly influence how people will behave around you and what impact you may bring. Humans naturally assume people based on apparent details, even if they want to be unbiased. Some important attributes will always be observed, no matter how hard one tries to ignore them. Our solution towards our bias and assumption is to go based on someone’s personality or features that make them unique rather than the negativity. As they say, “You should never judge a book by its cover”. In reality, we face the crisis of first impressions quite often, especially considering that we are in a phase in life where opportunities are limitless and interactions become a crucial part of our day-to-day lives.
Though we cannot prevent bias or change the way a person thinks about us, our approach should focus on understanding the reason behind the first impression, so that the next time you come across a first impression situation, you are far more prepared!
Why do humans have first impressions?
Humans use the first piece of knowledge we have to create a viewpoint. First impressions tell us about a person’s character traits, way of communication, preferences, and other aspects. These elements then go into concluding whether or not the individual is typical or unusual. Peter Mende-Siedlecki gives a great example of this in his TED-ED video. He asks to pretend that you are in a football game and the unknown person beside you starts acting obnoxious. After a few days, you encounter the same individual at a park. However, this time, they offer you an umbrella because it’s raining. Here, you would likely hold a negative stance about this person because offering an umbrella is a typical gesture in comparison to the obnoxious behaviour at the football field. The human brain is inclined towards negativity over positivity, likely creating a negative impression. The same goes for an interview or the first day of school in which you build preferences based on your current knowledge!
The Halo Effect
Even though the human brain is prone to negativity, it doesn’t always have to be that way. Scientists explain the flip side of first impressions through The Halo effect. The Halo effect is the “mental shortcut” that makes someone assume positive things about someone based on one good thing. In other words, because you like one trait of that individual, you tend to associate other positive traits about them too! For instance, if a new kid offers you a seat on the first day of school, you would be more likely to start a conversation with them because you think they are trustworthy, polite, and easygoing.
What elements are most commonly noticed in a first impression?
The answer to this question is based on the person. However, humans are far more likely to focus on non-verbal/visual cues in comparison to the content you are communicating. A Forbes article explains that the human brain develops and processes a first impression in the first seven seconds of a new interaction! (When I first read this, I was shocked) Can you believe it? Only 7 seconds.
So the next question is what can be seen in the first 7 seconds? Well, most of it will be your appearance; this includes your posture, the level of confidence shown through body language, whether or not your clothes match the occasion, and how you choose to approach the person.
How to Prepare for your next first impression:
After understanding the brief reasons of how and why first impressions exist, we also want to be prepared for future job interviews or interactions that could determine your future. Make sure to keep in mind that the most important thing beyond all of these aspects is being yourself. Nobody wants to meet someone who switches personalities on the second interaction. Thus, you must be true because no matter what you are awesome!
Here are some other things that you should keep in mind:
- Posture: As I mentioned above, posture portrays your mindset. If you have a bad posture, people will associate you with being lazy, slow, and uninterested, whereas a good posture reflects confidence and affability.
- Eye Contact: Eye contact is hard to develop and it takes a lot of courage and effort, especially as a youth. With correct eye contact, you can assure the other person that you know what you’re doing and can be trusted.
- Calm: Even though you want to be approachable, you must make sure that you are not oversharing. This can make it harder to start a conversation and may raise slight concern for the opposing person.
- Cleanliness: Cleanliness can be seen in several ways: good breath, neutral outfit colors, body odor or combed hair. Every individual has different ways of maintaining purity, but the overall goal is to be presentable. For instance, you would probably not want to come on the first day of school without doing your hair or taking a shower.
- Smile Please: Multiple reputable sources claim that smiling makes you feel positive about yourself because it releases endorphins. Similarly, smiling at someone can make them feel better about themselves too!
- Handshakes: This one is more focused towards formal interactions, such as an interview, though it is equally as important as the rest of the factors. A good and firm handshake shows your confidence, engagement and commitment.
Conclusion:
“ You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” -Will rogers
A first impression is a skill that can only be mastered with experience and time. Nevertheless, understanding why and how first impressions are created gives you a head start toward success. This can be seen in the creation of new friendships or a job interview. Our goal is to develop a stronger skill set to become the best versions of ourselves.
Sources:
https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/halo-effect
https://ed.ted.com/lessons/should-you-trust-your-first-impression-peter-mende-siedlecki
https://lovethatsmile.com/dental-articles/benefits-of-smiling-8-unbelievable-reasons-to-smile-more