How quick do you assess the trustworthiness of someone you just met for the first time? Do you like to engage in conversation first in order to make a considered, balanced judgement? I doubt it. Research tells us that we typically form our view in the first one-tenth of a second upon meeting a stranger.
In a recent blog-post in their Research Digest the British Psychological Society compiled a list of what matters most for first impressions. You can read it here >>. In summary, these are the ones that mattered most:
- Make Eye Contact
People who made and maintained eye contact, especially while talking, were perceived to be more intelligent.
- Talk Fast
Slower speech gives the impression you are less truthful, fluent and persuasive! And not surprisingly, when you use “um” and ”ah” people assume you don’t know what you are talking about.
- Dress Smart
People in more formal wear have been assumed to be more confident and successful, and when wearing name brand clothing, are more successful at soliciting money for charity.
- Lose the Piercings
As the number of piercings you have goes up, your intelligence goes down – at least that is what people assume.
- Shaved Heads
Research showed that when pictures of men who had shaved heads photo shopped, people judged them to be “more dominant, taller and stronger than their authentic selves”!
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