10 Things People Decide About Others Within Seconds of Meeting: Many first impressions are based on factors we have little control over, such as our natural fragrance, how “baby-like” our faces appear, and whether or not we are bald or require glasses. Men with more feminine facial characteristics, such as thinner brows and a pointier chin, are more likely to come across as trustworthy. Few people can change their facial shape to make a positive first impression, but they may alter their body language by making subtle adjustments like smiling more, making more eye contact, and nodding. Read on to learn more about the other assessments that people make of you right away:
10 Things People Decide About Others Within Seconds of Meeting
If your status is high
People wearing name-brand clothing, including Lacoste and Tommy Hilfiger, were perceived as having better prestige than those wearing non-designer clothing, according to a Dutch study. The authors stated that perceptions “did not differ on any of the other factors that can influence the outcome of social interactions.” There were no variations in how appealing, kind, or trustworthy people were viewed.
People decide whether you are trustworthy in less than a tenth of a second.
By providing a group of college students 100 milliseconds to assess an actor’s attractiveness, competence, likeability, aggression, and trustworthiness, Princeton researchers were able to determine this. Another group might take as much time as they desired. For the majority of the qualities, they made the same judgements as those who just had a tenth of a second.
A large portion of that judgement is based on factors that are beyond your control. For instance, research reveals that people are more likely to trust someone who has a more feminine, baby-like, and joyful face. You may rewire your body language to increase people’s confidence in you. Try grinning more, hunching forward, as originally reported by Business Insider.
Your sexual preference
In a twentieth of a second, which is the shortest amount of time required to cognitively recognise a face, people can read a man’s sexual orientation. According to study authors Nicholas O. Rule and Nalini Ambady, “the quick and precise judgement of male sexual orientation may be merely another indication of a quick and efficient cognitive mechanism for identifying the qualities of others.”
If you’re clever
According to a 2007 study performed by Nora A. Murphy, a professor at Loyola Marymount University, making eye contact with your conversation partner significantly increased your perceived intelligence. Looking while speaking was a crucial activity, according to Murphy. It had a strong correlation with IQ, could be successfully used to affect targets’ perceptions and raised assessments of perceived intelligence. Additionally helpful are thick glasses and expressive speech.
If you engage in promiscuity
According to a British study, misconceptions about tattooed women make them appear less beautiful, heavier drinkers, and more promiscuous than women without visible tattoos. “Ladette” culture, the female counterpart of “lad” culture, which often involves a propensity for alcoholic beverages, sports, fast vehicles, and a multitude of men’s publications, is often connected with tattooing among women in Britain, at least,” the authors stated.
If you’re in charge
According to a University of Pennsylvania study, “guys whose hair was digitally removed were viewed as more dominating, taller, and stronger than their real selves,” and “men whose hair was shaved were assessed as more dominant than equivalent males with full heads of hair.”
If you are prosperous
Get your suit fitted if you want to come across as successful. In a British-Turkish study, participants spent only five seconds comparing images of men wearing customised vs off-the-rack suits. The guys who wore custom suits were considered to be more successful. According to the findings of this study, men may be recommended to buy well-tailored clothing because it can improve the impression they project to others, the authors concluded.
If you’re approaching a promotion
Status is important, but so is the possibility for financial gain. In a 2011 Canadian study, photographs of male models wearing either professional or informal attire were given to university students. They were then questioned regarding the man’s suitability for various positions. The conclusions were clear: The well-groomed guys were projected to earn more money and advance through the ranks more quickly.
People can tell if you’re adventurous not simply by looking at you, but also by the way you move. In a study conducted at Durham University, participants watched video recordings of 26 other students walking, some of whom had looser gaits than others. Giving a feeling of individuality only required a few simple measures. The more clipped walkers were perceived as neurotic, while students associated looser gaits with extroversion and adventure.
If you can get a date
According to a recent study on online dating, people immediately judge your dateability based solely on your photo. One’s success on the dating service was boosted by coming across as “more outgoing, open to new experiences, emotionally secure, and likeable.” However, appearing more ambitious and skilled on the website disadvantaged women while it aided male users in their quest for success.
The researchers discovered that the impressions from the photo were held even after controlling for the text that people include in their dating profiles. The researchers concluded that their findings “indicate that photo-based first impression may affect a decision to approach a possible partner, even after learning other pertinent information about the person.”
If you could choose whether to side with a friend or an enemy
First impressions are formed by more than just our eyes. According to Italian psychologist Mariella Pazzaglia’s research, smelling someone can assist us to determine if they are a friend or adversary. According to the research, we can tell by smell whether someone belongs to our family or social group. Someone who smells similar to us is likely to be like us and could be a source of social support.
However, if they smell too dissimilarly from us, we worry that they might not be acting in our best interests. An earlier version of this piece, which was first released on Business Insider, had contributions from Drake Baer.
