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How Accurate are Your First Impressions? Should They Count?
“The ability to observe without evaluating is the highest form of intelligence.”
― J. Krishnamurti
Have you ever met someone and formed an opinion about them within seconds? Research shows that first impressions can be made in as little as 0.1 seconds!
These quick judgments significantly influence our lives — from job interviews to personal relationships and everyday encounters.
However, the key question remains:
- Should first impressions dictate how we feel about others?
- Should we form an opinion?
- Is it possible to keep neutral thoughts until the person reveals their personality?
Given that our biases and conditioning often influence our thoughts, it’s crucial to explore how we can challenge and change these initial assessments if necessary.
I’m going to take a dive into the psychology behind first impressions and offer practical tools for cultivating open-mindedness.
The Power of First Impressions
First impressions are a survival mechanism, enabling us to assess people and situations quickly.
These snap judgments hold remarkable power, deeply influencing our judgments of others. We form these impressions quickly, often within seconds, through subconscious processes that rely on mental shortcuts called heuristics.
For example, the halo effect can make us assume that someone well-dressed is also competent, while confirmation bias leads us to seek evidence that supports our initial perception.
Once formed, these impressions tend to stick due to cognitive inertia — the mental shortcuts we take can create resistance to change.
Think about a job interview where the candidate stumbles at the start — even if they recover, that initial misstep may linger in the interviewer’s mind.
You meet a new neighbour without knowing too much about them; after a quick chat, you label them. Understanding this process helps us recognise why first impressions can be powerful and damaging.
While quick assessments can sometimes protect us, they also can be unfairly influenced by our biases.
The Role of Biases and Conditioning
Our cultural conditioning and cognitive biases heavily influence our first impressions. Our upbringing, societal norms, and media exposure shape the mental frameworks of how we interpret new information.
For example, someone raised in a culture that values assertiveness might form more positive first impressions of loud, outgoing individuals than someone from a culture that prizes modesty.
Cognitive biases like stereotyping, anchoring, and confirmation bias can significantly skew our initial judgments.
Stereotyping leads us to make assumptions based on group membership, while anchoring causes us to rely too heavily on the first piece of information we receive. Confirmation bias drives us to seek information that supports our initial impression while ignoring contradictory evidence.
These biases can lead to serious misjudgments. For instance, a teacher might form a negative first impression of a student based on their appearance, leading to lower expectations and potentially impacting their performance.
Similarly, in a professional setting, unconscious biases can result in overlooking qualified candidates or missing out on valuable collaborations, highlighting the importance of being aware of and challenging our initial judgments.
Should First Impressions Count?
First impressions can be valuable in certain situations. They allow us to navigate social interactions quickly and sometimes accurately identify potential threats or opportunities. Positive first impressions can influence initial connections and impact social engagement.
Our intuitive judgments can pick up on subtle cues our conscious mind might miss.
However, we must also recognise the drawbacks of relying too heavily on these impressions. Overvaluing them can lead us to make premature judgments, potentially missing out on meaningful relationships or valuable collaborations.
They are often based on limited information and influenced by our biases, leading to inaccurate or unfair judgments. This can result in missed opportunities in personal relationships or professional settings.
For example, a brilliant but socially awkward job candidate might be overlooked due to a poor first impression despite being able to excel in the role.
Strong first impressions can create a ‘filter’ through which we interpret all subsequent information about a person, potentially blinding us to their true nature or changes in their behaviour over time.
This can lead to self-fulfilling prophecies, where our expectations based on first impressions shape our interactions in ways that reinforce those initial judgments, regardless of their accuracy.
Why It’s Hard to Change Our Minds
People don’t like being wrong.
Changing our minds about first impressions is challenging due to several psychological factors.
Cognitive dissonance, the discomfort we feel when holding conflicting beliefs, makes us resist information that contradicts our initial judgments[ To avoid this discomfort, we often engage in self-justification, seeking evidence that confirms our first impressions while dismissing contradictory information.
Our brains are wired to conserve energy, and changing established neural pathways requires significant cognitive effort. This mental inertia makes maintaining existing beliefs easier than forming new ones.
Admitting we were wrong about our first impression can feel like a threat to our self-image as good judges of character.
Social dynamics also play a role. Once we’ve expressed our initial judgment to others, changing our minds can feel like losing face. Group dynamics can reinforce initial impressions, as people often seek consensus and may be reluctant to challenge shared views.
These factors create a powerful resistance to changing our minds, even in the face of new evidence contradicting our first impressions.
Tools and Methods to Change Our Minds
Despite the challenges, there are effective strategies for overcoming the persistence of first impressions.
Mindfulness encourages us to pause and observe our thoughts without judgment, creating space to question snap assessments.
Cognitive defusion techniques from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can help us recognise our thoughts as mental events rather than absolute truths, reducing their influence on our behaviour.
Reframing involves seeking alternative explanations, such as wondering if someone’s behaviour is due to stress rather than rudeness. Actively seeking alternative explanations or perspectives can help counteract confirmation bias. Reframing means we deliberately consider other possible interpretations of a person’s behaviour.
Cultivating empathy and curiosity shifts the focus from judgment to understanding, allowing us to see people’s complexities. Approaching people with compassion and curiosity instead of judgment invites deeper connections and reduces bias.
Journaling about our first impressions and later revisiting these notes can help us identify patterns in our thinking, challenge our assumptions, and prompt more thoughtful responses.
Building an Open-Minded Approach
An open mind requires conscious effort and practice.
Practical steps include consciously slowing down our decision-making processes, especially in important situations. This might involve taking a moment to breathe and reflect before responding to a new person or situation.
Practice embracing uncertainty and questioning your assumptions.
As you feel a judgemental thought rising, pause, don’t say anything, and actively listen to what the other person is saying.
Develop resilience by accepting that changing your mind is not a weakness but a sign of growth. For instance, when meeting someone new, make it a habit to withhold judgment and allow their actions to shape your opinion over time.
Building an open-minded approach strengthens your relationships, creating trust and mutual respect. This attitude can lead to better teamwork and fairer decision-making in professional settings.
Being open-minded reduces biases and enriches your perspective, making you more adaptable and empathetic in an ever-changing world.
First impressions are powerful but not infallible. Understanding how biases shape our judgments allows us to challenge them and approach others more openly. By practising mindfulness, reframing, and empathy, we can break free from the limitations of snap judgments and build richer connections.
Ask yourself: What potential outcomes could you discover by looking past your initial judgment?
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