When we meet new people, the first thing we do is judge them. Some factors that influence a person’s first impression include vocal inflection, facial structure, and attractiveness. According to psychology, first impression is “the initial impression we have of another person when we meet them for the first time” (Nugent). We tend to stick with our initial impression of that person and it is hard to change our mind.
However, that is not the case. It takes more than just a greet to know that person. First impression is not always right due to a couple of reasons. Time is a big factor that plays in first impression.
According to a study by Princeton psychologists Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov, they “reveal that all it takes is a tenth of a second to form an impression of a stranger from their face, and that longer exposures don’t significantly alter those impressions” (Wargo). Now if you think about it, it is not a lot of time. My point is that we should give time to know that person, whether it is a classmate or a person applying for a job. Humans are an emotionally complex organism.
A really good example is my best friend. I am not going to lie, but I did judge her the first time I met her. I concluded that she was an unapproachable person. I rarely saw her smile. I meet her in middle school, and we did not talk until we had Spanish class together in eighth grade. We began to talk more and more as the year went by, and I realized she was so much more than what I thought she was.
She is one of the most wonderful people in the world. She is full of colors and has a great personality. There are many layers we have to go through to know a person before we judge them. Another reason why first impression is not always right is judging them first can have a negative effect on our perception.
Majority of the time we base their personality on their appearance. We look at their clothes and her facial expression. A girl wearing a dress and smiling does not mean they are nice. If you get to learn about them, they can turn out to be mean and rude. Another example, a guy wearing a hoodie and a cap does not mean they will harm you.
