First Impressions Are Powerful

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” — Will Rogers

Impressions are important. The first impression is shown to stick and sets the tone for how someone will view you. Depending on the level of integration you’ll have with that person, an initial meeting has the potential to be followed up with dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of interactions. It is worth investing to make your first impression a good one.

Our brains are wired to make fast decisions. When put to the test, trustworthiness, status, and attractiveness judgments were shown to be made as within a mere 33 milliseconds of face presentation¹. A fully formed first impression is created after about 7 seconds, and was shown not to change between groups which were time restricted and those who were not². To make decisions so quickly, our brains pull from existing information, which has a high potential for bias³. Evidence shows first impressions last. When meeting an individual in person one month after only being shown their picture, the participants’ opinions did not significantly differ from their original⁴.

With the knowledge that bad first impressions are hard to correct, be prepared to make good ones. Understand the audience and context of the situation before you go in. Do the basics – it takes no skill to be on time. Show up well-groomed while dressing neatly and appropriately⁵. This does not mean you have to ‘conform’ – know your brand and own it in a classy way. Have a firm handshake, matched with strong eye contact⁶. If you are on the other end, be aware of unconscious biases and work to overcome them. Strive to present your best self and be open to meeting other’s in return.

Action: Prepare for a first impression coming up this week.

Further Reading:

1. Facial First Impressions of Partner Preference Traits: Trustworthiness, Status, and Attractiveness
2. First Impressions: Making Up Your Mind After a 100-Ms Exposure to a Face
3. A neural mechanism of first impressions
4. Exploring the role of first impressions in rater-based assessments
5. Personality Judgments Based on Physical Appearance
6. The influence of handshakes on first impression accuracy