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First Impression Essay | The Complete Guide to First Impressions Essay

October 30, 2021 by Prasanna

First Impression Essay: First impressions are everything. They can make or break a person, company, service or product. That’s why it is so important to make a good first impression. Furthermore, a person’s first impression can sway a person’s opinion with respect to their professional as well as their personal life. For instance, a candidate’s first impression in an interview may be a crucial factor to get hired. Similarly, dating and relationships often rely on first impressions from potential partners. Although this is not always the case, it can have a lasting impact on the other person and also affects the outcome of a potential relationship.

How exactly is a “first impression” defined? A first impression is the initial and (often) lasting impression of someone or something. A first impression can also be defined as the unspoken, instantaneous judgment of another person’s character, product, service or an organisation. This thought process usually happens automatically and involuntarily. Sometimes, marketing firms create hype for a particular product as they want the initial impression of a particular product or service to be positive. However, it also has the potential to backfire if the said product or service is poor or just plain bad.

You can also find more  Essay Writing articles on events, persons, sports, technology and many more.

Exploring the Science of First Impressions

At networking events, interviews, or even just meeting someone for the first time, the first impression you make is always important. The way you present yourself and your personality can make a lasting impression on the other person. The way you dress and carry yourself is a huge factor in making a good first impression. There are many different factors that influence first impressions. Some of these factors can be changed or altered while others cannot.

General Appearance and Clothing

The first factor is facial attractiveness. Though attractiveness is subjective, it can significantly influence the outcome of a first impression. An experiment proved that when people are shown photos of random human faces, they rated the more “attractive” faces as happier, more intelligent, and more honest than the “unattractive” faces. Moreover, your outward appearance is very crucial. This can be the way you dress or the way you carry yourself. One of the most important factors in any interaction is appearance. When meeting potential clients, it is important to dress for success and showcase your personality with apparels that are appropriate for the event.

Posture is of particular importance in first impressions. Slouching, for example, can indicate a feeling of insecurity or a lack of interest. Though slouching is usually involuntary for most people, it can be rectified with exercises that target the spinal cord. Moreover, body posture is a crucial element of non-verbal communication and not expressing the right posture at certain times can send a bad first impression. For instance, candidates that are nervous in an interview tend to look restless and tend to avoid eye contact. They may also sit very upright and have trouble interacting effectively with the interviewer.

Facial Expressions

Facial expressions can be used to paint an accurate picture of your personality before you even say a word. Studies show that people make judgments about your personality within the first few seconds of meeting you. This is why many people spend so much time preparing for their first impression. Moreover, just like posture, facial expressions are an important form of nonverbal communication and influence your first impression significantly.

The handshake is the universal greeting that many of us use to greet someone we don’t know. It is a show of respect and a sign of good faith. A firm, confident handshake will help you make a good first impression and feel more confident and relaxed when meeting new people for the first time. On the other hand, a sloppy handshake might convey a lack of confidence or interest.

Punctuality

Punctuality is the key to creating a good first impression. Individuals who are punctual are better positioned to make a favorable impression on their clients, bosses, and others because they are more likely to be reliable and trustworthy. Moreover, individuals who are not punctual are often seen as unprofessional and unreliable.

However, there are a multitude of other factors which are out of our control but still significantly influence first impressions. These factors include:

The age of a person does not necessarily determine how they are perceived in society. However, it is a major determining factor. In most cases, those who are young are seen as energetic and those who are old as wise.

One of the most controversial factors that influence first impressions is race. The idea that there are racial differences in how people are treated has been around for a long time. For example, it has been shown that people with white-sounding names are more likely to be preferred for a job than those with African-American sounding names, even when their qualifications are identical. However, most of these issues can be attributed to our tendency to stereotype races and cultures.

A person’s culture plays an important role in first impressions. For example, some cultures are more expressive while others are more reticent. Other differences can be found in the way people greet one another or choose to dress. For instance, something as simple as a handshake may not be a socially accepted form of greeting in many cultures.

From the moment we meet someone, we make a judgement about them and their character based on what they say and how they say it. This is called linguistic profiling. Interestingly, this technique is predominantly used by law enforcement agencies to identify a person’s language. It is based on the idea that a person’s native language has a specific, identifiable linguistic pattern.

There are many studies that have shown the differences between how men and women are perceived in society. Men and women may often be stereotyped based on their gender which can create a first impression of them before they even say a word. This is called gender bias and can cause both prejudices and discrimination in any situation.

Physical appearance

Every day, people make judgments based on appearance, and these judgments can influence how people are treated throughout their lives. Individuals with significant facial scarring or other deformities are often shunned from society and considered socially unacceptable. Such individuals may also be unable to find a job or even a relationship due to the stigma surrounding them.

Accent bias is a phenomenon in which we unconsciously ascribe qualities to people based on where they’re from. This bias can emerge in hiring and purchasing decisions, and also in our everyday conversations. People with foreign accents are often viewed as less intelligent, reliable or competent than those who don’t, and this type of discrimination has been shown to have negative consequences for those affected.

The voice of a person can reveal their age, gender and emotional state. This is one of the many pieces of information that people use to form their first impressions. If a person’s voice is low-pitched (usually men), it may have a deep and commanding quality, which can be interpreted as stern and strong. People that have a high-pitched voice (usually women) that can sound comforting or alluring.

Economic status

A person’s socioeconomic status is an important part of how they are perceived. Studies show that higher status individuals are treated more positively than someone of lower status.

What Are Some Tips For Making A Good First Impression?

We all know that the first impression is the most important one. The way you dress, how you speak and what you say can make or break your chances of getting a job interview, making friends, getting promoted or meeting someone new.

Here are some ways to make sure that your first impression is a good one:

• Dress appropriately. Wear formals for professional interaction such as interviews and meetings
• Arrive early or as per the given time
• Be friendly and welcoming
• Show confidence, but ensure that you do not come off as brash
• Be humble. It helps us to put ourselves in other people’s shoes and act with empathy, which is the foundation of all human connection
• Smile – You will make a better first impression with people if you smile when you approach them
• Lastly, be mindful of the other person’s body language. If they feel nervous or uncomfortable, try to calm them down. Also ensure that you do not invade the personal space of other people

Conclusion on First Impression Essay

The first impression is the initial observation of a person or thing that creates a lasting opinion. Hence, this is a crucial interaction because it sets the tone for everything that will happen thereafter.

FAQ’s on First Impression Essay

Question 1. What is the meaning of “first impression?”

Answer: The term “first impression” refers to the initial perception of something. Moreover, the first impression of a person is usually the lasting one.

Question 2. What are the factors that influence first impression?

Answer: There are many factors that contribute to the first impression. Some of the most important factors include personality, appearance, posture, handshakes, and facial expressions.

Question 3. Do first impressions matter?

Answer: In a world of snap judgments, it seems that first impressions do matter. Whether we like it or not, we often form opinions of someone within the first five minutes of meeting them. These opinions may be based on how the person dresses and carries themselves.

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Have You Ever Worried About Making a Good First Impression?

In a winning essay for our 2019 Personal Narrative Contest, a teenager writes about wanting to make the right impression on her first day in a new school. Do first impressions matter, or are they overrated?

By Jeremy Engle

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.

This special Student Opinion question features one of the winning essays from our 2019 Personal Narrative Writing Contest. You can read all of the 2019 winning essays here , and learn more about participating in this year’s contest, open now until Nov. 17, 2020, here .

Have you ever fretted and agonized over a first encounter?

What did you do to make a good impression? Did you practice witty lines in your head? Did you ransack your closets looking for the perfect outfit?

Have you ever truly bungled a first impression? Or, surprised yourself and won over the crowd despite your great apprehension?

What can you learn about yourself from these first encounters?

In “ First Impressions ,” a winning essay from our 2019 Personal Narrative Contest for students, Isabel Hui writes about a time when she hoped to make a good impression — and what she learned about herself from it. Her narrative reads:

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How to Make a Great First Impression

• Rebecca Knight

Prepare talking points ahead of time.

The saying “You only have one chance to make a first impression” holds true in many situations, from job interviews to sales calls. How can you make sure that you start off on the right foot in any of these scenarios? What should you actually say? And what’s the best way to follow up?

• RK Rebecca Knight is a journalist who writes about all things related to the changing nature of careers and the workplace. Her essays and reported stories have been featured in The Boston Globe, Business Insider, The New York Times, BBC, and The Christian Science Monitor. She was shortlisted as a Reuters Institute Fellow at Oxford University in 2023. Earlier in her career, she spent a decade as an editor and reporter at the Financial Times in New York, London, and Boston.

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First Impressions: Everything You Need to Make a Good Introduction

Jordi Salas/Moment/Getty

How to Make a Good First Impression

• Signs of a Good Impression
• Why It Matters
• Overcoming a Bad Impression

First impressions are the initial opinions that people form the first time they meet another person. Such judgments occur very quickly and are based on the immediate, limited information that is available.

The first impressions people form are often based on immediate observations about characteristics, such as how others look, how they act, what they say, and their general attitude. However, people also bring their own past experiences, expectations, biases , and misapprehensions to the situations when forming impressions.

While first impressions play an important role in how people feel about others, how they treat them, and the future development of the relationship, such perceptions can be biased and inaccurate.

Because first impressions can be wrong, it is important to remember that you should look at other information beyond your initial perceptions when you are making judgments about other people.

This article discusses what you can do to make a good first impression and how to gauge whether or not you have succeeded. It also offers tips for what you can do to help overcome a bad first impression.

Making a good first impression is important, particularly in certain situations. If you are trying to make a good impression on other people, there are some strategies that can help.

Be Aware of Your Body Language

Nonverbal signals can convey a great deal of information, so it is important to make sure that your body language reinforces the impression you are trying to make.

Maintain an open posture and make sure you keep your body angled toward the other person. Sit or stand straight and keep your arms at your sides and your legs straight. Crossing your arms or legs can seem closed off or even defensive.

Watch Your Expressions

In addition to using good body language, be sure to watch how you are responding with your facial expressions. Smiling , for example, can help convey warmth and genuine interest.  

If you are feeling tense, such as during a job interview or while speaking in public, try to maintain a relaxed expression. Researchers have found that people perceive people with happy expressions as more trustworthy.

Dress Appropriately

Appearance, including how you dress, can help convey information about who you are to others. If you are dressed correctly for the occasion, it may help people form a good impression of you.

This doesn't mean that you can't express yourself through your appearance, but it is important to consider how you want to be perceived. Choose clothing that looks neat, is suited to the occasion, and helps you feel comfortable and confident when meeting new people.

Different situations have different expectations. A job interview would necessitate a more formal, professional appearance, whereas meeting a new friend for coffee would involve more casual dress.

Consider Your Words

When speaking to others, focus on using language that is polite, respectful, and non-judgmental. While there are certain opinions or subjects you might feel comfortable discussing with people who already know you well, it is best to try to be considerate of other people's feelings and backgrounds when you are first introduced.

Knowing how to make small talk can be helpful. Neutral topics such as the weather, hobbies, sports, travel, and food can be great icebreakers. Just be sure to avoid critical or controversial opinions, such as trash-talking the other person's favorite sports team.

Instead, try asking open-ended questions about the other person, such as what they are reading or what they enjoy doing in their free time. It can be a great way to convey genuine interest and help the other person form the impression that you are attentive and genuine.

Show Interest in Others

When you are speaking to someone new, practice active listening. Be genuinely interested in what they have to say and make sure that you are listening to their responses.

Focus on the other person is also a great strategy if you are feeling anxious about meeting new people. By concentrating on the other person, you're less likely to focus on your own nervousness.

If you are nervous on a first date, for example, focus on the other person. Express interest in what they have to say and ask questions in a way that feels natural (and not like an interrogation or job interview).

How to Know If You’ve Made a Good First Impression

It isn't always easy or even possible to tell if you've made a good first impression on others. However, there are clues that you can watch for that might provide a bit of insight into what the other person is thinking and feeling:

• Positive feedback : In some cases, people might offer direct feedback about how they are feeling about your meeting. A job interviewer, for example, might tell a job candidate that they are exactly right for the role or indicate that they are impressed by the interviewee's credentials.
• Positive nonverbal signals : Body language that conveys warmth, comfort, and interest is always a good sign. If your conversation partner seems like they enjoy talking to you, it is a good sign that they are forming a positive first impression.
• Further interest : If the other person follows up and contacts you again after your initial meeting, you probably made a good first impression. For example, if you give a potential romantic partner your phone number and they follow up with a text or phone call, it means they were impressed enough to express interest in meeting again.
• Interest in socializing : If you've made a good first impression, the other person might reach out about getting together again. Or they might invite you to participate in some type of activity, such as another date or a potential work project.

Why First Impressions Are Important

People are evolutionarily wired to make snap judgments and quick decisions about others. These initial impressions may be based on very limited information, but they can affect how people see each other, set the tone for future interactions, and leave a lasting mark on how people view one another.

Initial Impressions Affect Other Assumptions

A phenomenon known as the halo effect can also impact people's impressions. If they perceive certain good qualities about you (like that you are nice, professional, and quick-witted), they are more likely to attribute other good qualities to you as well.

First Impressions Affect Future Interactions

Such impressions can have a significant impact in many ways. In the workplace, first impressions can play a role in employment opportunities, leadership roles, collaborations with others, and future advancement. 

In social situations, how well others think of you based on their first assessment might determine the rapport they feel and whether they end up trusting or liking you.

Such impressions can also impact your love life. You might express interest in a potential partner, only to be rebuffed if you leave a poor first impression. 

The ability to accurately recognize other people's emotions is essential for effective social interaction, but some research suggests that poor first impressions can negatively affect the ability to read emotions based on facial expressions.

First Impressions Are Long-Lasting

As the famous saying goes, you never have a second chance to make a first impression, and, for better or worse, those first impressions tend to stick. This is because of a phenomenon known as the primacy effect . Essentially, people tend to have a better memory for the initial information they learned than they do for subsequent information that follows.

When a person thinks about you, those first impressions are more likely to spring to mind over other details they may have learned, all thanks to the primacy effect.

Researchers found that first impressions made based on briefly looking at a photograph of a stranger affected judgments when participants met the same stranger face-to-face a month later.

How to Overcome a Bad First Impression

First impressions are important, but everyone has an off day or makes mistakes in social situations. While it might be more of a challenge to change how you are perceived, there are things you can do to overcome a bad first impression.

If your first meeting was marred by some type of mistake, reach out and apologize . Showing that you are aware of your gaffe and willing to take steps to overcome it can help improve the impression the other person has of you.

Explain What Happened

You don’t want to make excuses, but it can be helpful to provide an honest explanation for why your first meeting went poorly. You might explain that you were nervous, that you weren’t feeling well, that you were distracted, or that you were feeling stressed about something unrelated. No matter the cause, an honest explanation may help the other person better empathize with your situation.

Suggest Another Meeting

If you won’t see them in another setting, ask if you can have another opportunity to let them get to see the real you. However, be willing to respect the other person’s request if they decline your offer.

For example, don't continue pursuing a potential romantic partner after they have told you they are not interested. Don't take it personally; instead, see it as a learning opportunity and try to apply those lessons when you meet someone new.

Let Them See the Real You

If you do get another opportunity to overcome a poor initial impression, make sure you are authentic and consistent in your future interactions. Let the other person see the “real you” in terms of context and situation.

If it’s a second date, let them see the qualities that make you a great romantic partner, such as warmth, kindness, humor, and attentiveness.

In a workplace setting, focus on showing your skills and professionalism. Demonstrating initiative, productivity, and good work habits are just a few ways to help overcome a poor first impression at work.

Poor first impressions happen for a variety of reasons, but there are things you can do to overcome them. Apologizing, offering an explanation, asking for another chance, and showing your best qualities can help others form a more accurate view of who you are and what you have to offer.

A Word From Verywell

Think of first impressions as a building block for relationships—they play a major part in setting the tone for future interactions. Making a good first impression is a great start, but there are also reasons why those initial interactions might be less-than-stellar. Stress, situational factors, and even the other person’s expectations can affect how they see you.

A poor first impression can sink your chances professionally, socially, and romantically, so it is worth it to examine how others react to you in these settings.

Tsankova E, Tair E. Meta-accuracy of very first impressions: A mini review . Front Psychol . 2021;12:736534. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.736534

Wood TJ. Exploring the role of first impressions in rater-based assessments . Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract . 2014;19(3):409-427. doi:10.1007/s10459-013-9453-9

Thierry SM, Twele AC, Mondloch CJ. Mandatory first impressions: happy expressions increase trustworthiness ratings of subsequent neutral images . Perception . 2021;50(2):103-115. doi:10.1177/0301006620987205

Colonnello V, Russo PM, Mattarozzi K. First impression misleads emotion recognition . Front Psychol . 2019;10:527. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00527

Gunaydin G, Selcuk E, Zayas V. Impressions based on a portrait predict, 1-month later, impressions following a live interaction . Social Psychological and Personality Science . 2017;8(1):36-44.doi:10.1177/1948550616662123

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

First Impressions

The psychology of first impressions, researchers identify four facial features that drive our early judgments..

Posted August 8, 2017 | Reviewed by Jessica Schrader

• Although first impressions are notoriously prone to error, we often can’t stop ourselves from making them.
• Incorrect first impressions can have significant social consequences.
• Facial cues often used to judge others include “babyfaceness,” familiarity, and fitness.

We all know how important it is to make a good first impression . At the same time, we know we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, because looks can be deceiving . So how do we make sense of these two contradictory pieces of advice?

Here’s the conundrum: We know other people will make snap judgments about us. But we tell ourselves we shouldn’t make snap judgments about them. The “shouldn’t” in the previous sentence is key, since moral injunctions are always about dissuading us from following our natural inclinations.

Psychologist Leslie Zebrowitz of Brandeis University studies the facial information we use to judge other people. Although first impressions are notoriously prone to error, we just can’t stop ourselves from making them—and it only takes a tenth of a second to form a judgment about another person’s character, even from a still photograph.

We’re also very consistent in the judgments we make about others. When researchers ask participants to rate faces in photos on personality traits such as dominance and warmth, most will judge the persons in the pictures the same way—and these results hold across cultures, suggesting that the processes we use for creating first impressions are innate. There’s even evidence that infants and young children judge faces similarly to adults, strengthening the case for an evolved mechanism.

But if we do have an innate mechanism for making snap judgments of character from people’s faces, just how accurate is it? After all, natural selection should have weeded out this behavior if it wasn’t beneficial. When we compare people’s snap judgments of character with objective forms of measurement, such as personality tests, we find the accuracy of our first impressions is better than chance. In other words, we often judge correctly, but there are still plenty of times when we’re completely wrong.

As Zebrowitz points out, incorrect first impressions can have significant social consequences. People with the “right” kind of face are judged as more likable, knowledgeable, and capable. However, those with the “wrong” kind of face are deemed unapproachable, incompetent, and untrustworthy. So your face alone can have a big impact on your social life , your career success, and even legal decisions.

In her research, Zebrowitz has identified four facial cues that people use to judge the characteristics of other people:

The first facial cue is " babyfaceness "—that is, having a baby-like face. Plenty of evidence shows we have an innate tendency to find baby faces appealing. Savvy public speakers know a baby picture or two in their PowerPoint slides will elicit “oohs” and “aahs” from their audience. Likewise, videos of babies and kittens (which also have baby faces) are among the most popular on YouTube.

It makes evolutionary sense to have an inborn soft spot for babies, who need to be protected and cared for. But we overgeneralize this predilection to adults whose faces are baby-like. Specifically, baby faces have big eyes, large foreheads, short chins, and rounded heads, among other characteristics. Research shows that men tend to prefer women with baby-face qualities as sexual partners, presumably because these features signal youth and fertility.

We tend to treat baby-faced adults kindly, but we also assume them to be weak and needing care. For example, the elderly often take on a baby-face appearance as their hairlines recede, and their faces round out. We tend to treat senior citizens as babies, whether they need special care or not. In short, if you have a baby face, people will tend to treat you kindly, but they may not think you’re very capable .

The second facial cue is familiarity; we tend to judge people based on their facial similarity to other people we know. So, if you meet someone who looks like your grumpy Uncle John, you’ll assume he’s grumpy, too. And if you see someone who resembles your friendly Aunt Joan, you’ll think she must be friendly as well. In part, this stems from the fact that our innate facial-processing mechanisms lead us to believe in a correlation between facial features and personality characteristics.

However, most people we judge as familiar don’t remind us of anyone in particular. Rather, it’s just a vague sense that they look like the other people we hang around with—specifically, members of the same family, race, and ethnicity . In this case, the familiarity effect kicks in. That is, we like what we’re familiar with. My family members all look sort of like me, and I like them more than your family members (even though they’re probably quite nice, too).

The third facial cue is fitness. There’s general agreement about what makes a face attractive. Underlying these judgments of attractiveness are facial features that are arranged in symmetry and proper proportion. The more faces diverge from the symmetrical and properly proportioned, the more they’re judged to be unattractive. Facial symmetry and proportion are signals of genetic diversity (inbreeding increases the likelihood of genetic diseases) and a strong immune system capable of fighting off disease.

Healthy people look attractive. We also assume they’re likable, intelligent, and capable. We think they’re good people to have as friends. Unhealthy people are unattractive, and we feel they need to be treated with caution. Whatever diseases they have may be infectious, so it’s best to stay away. Thus goes the evolutionary logic that drives our intuitions about other people.

The final cue is emotional resemblance. We’re very good at reading the emotional expressions of other people. However, some people have facial features that resemble emotional expressions. For example, people with lower eyebrows may just look angry, even when they’re not. Likewise, those whose mouths are turned upward at the corners appear to be happy no matter how they feel.

The intuitions that guide our social interactions are largely innate, but that doesn’t mean we’re powerless to overcome them. If we understand how our intuitions work, we can avoid pitfalls and guide them to our advantage. This means skillfully manipulating our own facial features to make the right first impression in others, while guarding ourselves against intuitive judgments that may lead us astray.

Zebrowitz, L. A. (2017). First impressions from faces. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 26, 237-242.

David Ludden, Ph.D. , is a professor of psychology at Georgia Gwinnett College.

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How to Make the Best First Impression, According to Experts

Everyone can make snap judgments, especially when meeting someone new.

In less than one-tenth of a second of seeing someone for the first time, our brain processes information about the person’s face—which leads to quick conclusions about a new acquaintance’s qualities, including trustworthiness, competency, friendliness, honesty and morality—according to a 2006 study published in Psychological Science . This tendency dates back to evolutionary times, when we would encounter strangers and, for survival purposes, need to assess whether they would inflict harm or be an ally, says Vivian Zayas, a professor of psychology at Cornell University.

Most of us believe the first impressions we come up with, too, says Alexander Todorov, a professor of psychology at Princeton University and author of Face Value: The Irresistible Influence of First Impressions . And although sometimes they can be misleading, first impressions do form people’s view of a person.

“Once we have a representation formed, it’s used as a filter,” says Zayas. Think someone’s trustworthy right off the bat? You might tell them more. And if you write them off as a negative person, you might complain about them to coworkers.

Fortunately, there are ways to leave a strong lasting impression. Here’s how to make sure others are viewing you in a positive light.

Know your context

It’s important to first consider where you are trying to make a good impression—whether it’s a formal job interview or a dinner date. The reason is simple: context matters. It gives you cues as to how you should dress, look and behave, Zayas says. If you’re interviewing at a bank for example, you’ll likely be expected to show up in a suit. Choosing attire, grooming habits and conversation styles that appropriately match the setting you are entering are key aspects of making a good impression, she says.

“As social beings, we use everything available to make sense of a person that we’re meeting for the first time,” says Zayas.

And while a firm handshake and a small smile might fit the bill for a third-round meeting with the boss, matching someone’s pondering posture at an art gallery and commenting on the artwork might be appropriate if you’re trying to start casual conversation in that setting, says Nicholas Boothman, author of How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less .

Adjust your attitude

If you’re having a good day, you probably look happy and people might be more likely to form a positive impression of you, Todorov says. Alternatively, if you’re having a bad day, you might appear unapproachable.

“We sort of scan the world for threats, and facial expressions are really primarily processed,” says Ann Demarais, founder of First Impressions, a New York-based coaching and consulting company. “On a very deep level, if someone is frowning or looks threatening, we register that as ‘Watch out.’”

Instead of thinking of attitudes as good or bad, think about them as useful or useless, Boothman suggests. A useful attitude is welcoming, curious and enthusiastic. A useless one is acting bored, rude or hostile.

You can create a useful attitude by smiling at someone, making eye contact long enough to notice the color of that person’s eyes, or sitting without crossing your arms or legs, says Boothman. This will project a warm, open and positive impression.

If you’re having a hard time with the attitude adjustment, try thinking back to a time when you felt enthusiastic or resourceful to get your mind into a better place, Boothman suggests.

If you’re nervous, say something silly to yourself before you walk into a room. You’ll find your attitude and expression will instantly adjust, he says.

Search for common ground

People who have an easy time connecting with others often find common ground with someone else in just a few seconds, says Boothman. Asking observant questions like, “Does this person have an accent?” or “Is he or she wearing something you recognize?” can help foster an instant connection.

“We tend to like people who are a little bit similar to us,” says Zayas.

If you’re operating from a blank slate, start with your shared environment—like commenting on the weather or something you notice in your surroundings, then move to facts—like the reason you’re gathering or a recent news story, says Demarais. You’re likely to find something you both connect with.

Shift the focus from yourself to others

In new situations, we tend to notice how we’re feeling instead of how others are feeling, Demarais points out. But experts say we should pay more attention to those around us. “People always remember how you made them feel,” she says.

Taking the focus off of yourself and putting it on someone else can help others perceive you in a better light. For example, making someone feel appreciated, finding a point of commonality to bond over or sharing something interesting you’ve learned can all improve how you’re received, Demarais says.

Get a good night’s sleep

When you’re sleep-deprived, you appear different, Todorov says. “The skin is much paler, which is often a signal for sickness; you have shadows under the eyes; the corners of the mouth are slightly turned downward,” he says.

And multiple studies suggest that skimping on shut-eye can lead others to perceive you as less attractive, less smart, more depressed and less healthy.

“If you’re really sleep-deprived, you’re not going to do well on any kind of task,” he notes. And while appearing overly fatigued might not be an accurate portrayal of who you are, it can adversely contribute to people’s first impression of you, Todorov says.

Being well-rested —putting a solid eight hours in the night before a big event—is one way to present yourself well, he notes.

Be yourself

In order to make a good first impression , it’s important to be genuine. If you’re constantly worried about whether or not you’re doing or saying the right thing, you could appear insincere or too strategic, Zayas cautions. “The other person’s going to pick up on that inauthenticity and I think it can be a little bit of a signal that there’s something you’re hiding,” she says. “It can make the person not want to trust you.”

If someone you’re trying to impress brings up a movie that you hated, don’t lie through your teeth. Rather than agreeing you enjoyed it, pick out one specific part you did enjoy, says Demarais.

And if your nerves are getting the best of you but the setting allows for candor, admitting to your nerves can help show your true self —it may even make you seem all the more endearing.

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Student Notebook

Studying first impressions: what to consider.

• Behavioral Assessment
• Implicit Bias
• Implicit Processing
• Social Behavior
• Social Cognition

First impressions are long-lasting. This familiar phrase indicates one of the many reasons that studying people’s first impressions is critical for social psychologists. Any information about a person, from her physical properties to her nonverbal and verbal behaviors, and even the environment she inhabits, influences our impressions and judgments about her (e.g., Ambady & Rosenthal, 1993; Gosling, Ko, Mannarell, & Morris, 2002). First impressions have been shown to last for months (Gunaydin, Selcuk, & Zayas, 2017) and affect personal judgments even in the presence of contradictory evidence about the individual (e.g., Rydell & McConnell, 2006).

This article will briefly discuss some critical aspects of first impressions based on existing social psychological research, including my own.

Types of First Impressions

What are our first impressions about? Social cognition literature conceptualizes impressions via a number of constructs. The most studied form of impression in social cognition is traits ; people tend to form split-second impressions with regard to others’ presumably stable characteristics, such as trustworthiness and competence. They do this from others’ facial appearances (e.g., Willis & Todorov, 2006) and simple behaviors — for example, having observed a person taking an elevator up one flight, people may infer that she is lazy (Uleman, Blader, & Todorov, 2005). The goals, values, and beliefs of others also have been shown to influence first impressions (Moskowitz & Olcaysoy Okten, 2016).

Recent research from our lab has demonstrated the effect of behavior characteristics on first impressions; when initially observed behaviors of others are known or believed to be consistent over time, formation of trait inferences has been observed to be more likely (Olcaysoy Okten & Moskowitz, 2017). Considering the elevator example, having observed the same person taking an elevator up one flight on several occasions, people become more confident in their assessment of this person as lazy. However, when a person takes an elevator up one flight only on a specific occasion, people may believe he wants to be quick in this specific situation.

Measuring Impressions: Explicit or Implicit?

First impressions are manifested not only in perceivers’ explicit reactions but also in their spontaneous inferences. Implicit measures aim to capture the spontaneous impressions that are typically invisible to the perceivers — impressions they have formed without any awareness or intention. While explicit measures of impressions include self-report tests such as ratings of evaluations or inferences, implicit measures include memory tests that measure the extent to which the target person is associated with a construct (such as a trait) in memory. The exact relationship between implicit and explicit forms of impressions has been a controversial question in the field of social cognition (Payne, Burkley, & Stokes, 2008).

Research from many labs has also consistently shown that implicit impressions are resistant to change (e.g., Gregg, Seibt, & Banaji, 2006; Mann & Ferguson, 2015). When changes in impressions do occur, it is typically explicit , but not implicit , trait inferences that are altered (Olcaysoy Okten & Moskowitz, 2017b). For example, after learning that the person who took the elevator up one flight on several occasions actually works out regularly, perceivers update their initial explicit judgment of her being lazy. However, they still tend to classify the person as lazy in an implicit memory task. Thus, implicit biases can persist and affect interpersonal interactions in significant ways, even when perceivers are convinced that they have changed their impressions in light of new information.

Why does someone form an impression of another person? Research has shown that the answer to this question is critical to determining the way in which people process information about others. Adopting the mindset of a “reporter” whose goal is merely to discover the facts about a person might leave one with a completely different impression than adopting the mindset of a person on a blind date. In the former case, perceivers engage in systematic (comprehensive) processing, whereas in the latter case, they tend to rely on heuristics that are consistent with their goal to affiliate with the given person (Chen, Shechter, & Chaiken, 1996). Such motivated processing can trigger a positivity bias in evaluating others.

Impressions also are affected by environmental cues: For example, people perceive an ambiguous behavior differently after being primed to see a trait as “bold” versus “reckless” (Higgins, Rholes, & Jones, 1977). Perceivers’ long-term goals also affect their interpretations of others’ actions during first encounters. For example, those who have a higher need to reduce uncertainty in their interpersonal interactions are more likely to infer stable traits from mundane behaviors of others (Moskowitz, 1993) and less likely to change their first impressions even after learning that those impressions were inaccurate (Wyer, 2016).

Behavioral Implications of First Impressions

Despite the large literature on the formation of and change in first impressions, less is known about their behavioral consequences (for a review, see Harris & Garris, 2008). Much of the existing research has focused on behavioral consequences of first impressions related to an existing stigma. In these studies, perceivers’ stigma-related impressions resulted in discriminatory practices, such as avoidance of interaction and experience of physiological threat during such interactions (e.g., Blascovich, Mendes, Hunter, Lickel, & Kowai-Bell, 2000; Peck & Denney, 2012).

Other research has focused on the outcomes in the domain of job recruitment. First impressions significantly predict employers’ behavioral tendencies during job interviews as well as their ultimate recruitment decisions (Barrick, Swider, & Stewart, 2010; Swider, Barrick, & Harris, 2016). Specifically, employers tend to ask questions that confirm their first impressions about the candidates and treat them in ways that are consistent with such impressions (Snyder & Swann, 1978). If their initial impressions of the candidates are positive, employers show a higher tendency to “sell” the job by providing information to the candidates about the job rather than gathering information from them (Dougherty, Ebert, & Callender, 1986; Dougherty, Turban, & Callender, 1994). In turn, employers’ warmer behaviors typically elicit warmer behaviors from the candidates (e.g., Snyder, Tanke, and Berscheid, 1977), and thus the employers’ initial positive impressions about the candidates are validated. Importantly, however, even in cases when a job candidate performs in ways that disconfirm employers’ first impressions, employers may fail to assess the candidate’s performance accurately, preventing them from changing their first impressions accordingly. Research has shown that this might be due to high levels of self-regulation on behalf of the interviewers (Nordstrom, Hall, & Bartels, 1998). Therefore, reducing cognitive demands in an interview context by using scripted questions or having third-party observers evaluate the interview process might be effective in fostering accurate impressions and judgments of a job candidate.

When forming first impressions, people typically have to rely on limited and potentially misleading information about others. Drawing big conclusions from such limited information can lead to poor decisions with broader implications. Understanding the origins and consequences of first impressions is the first step to addressing biases in those impressions. The points discussed above aim to provide a brief guide to the students of psychological science who are interested in taking part in this scientific journey.

Ambady, N., & Rosenthal, R. (1993). Half a minute: Predicting teacher evaluations from thin slices of nonverbal behavior and physical attractiveness.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology ,  64 , 431–441.

Barrick, M. R., Swider, B. W., & Stewart, G. L. (2010). Initial evaluations in the interview: Relationships with subsequent interviewer evaluations and employment offers. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95 , 1163–1172. doi:10.1037/a0019918

Blascovich, J., Mendes, W. B., Hunter, S. B., Lickel, B., & Kowai-Bell, N. (2001). Perceiver threat in social interactions with stigmatized others. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80 , 253–267.

Chen, S., Shechter, D., & Chaiken, S. (1996). Getting at the truth or getting along: Accuracy-versus impression-motivated heuristic and systematic processing.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology ,  71 , 262–275.

Dougherty, T. W., Ebert, R. J., & Callender, J. C. (1986). Policy capturing in the employment interview.  Journal of Applied Psychology ,  71 , 9–15.

Dougherty, T. W., Turban, D. B., & Callender, J. C. (1994). Confirming first impressions in the employment interview: A field study of interviewer behavior.  Journal of Applied Psychology ,  79 , 659–665.

Gosling, S. D., Ko, S. J., Mannarelli, T., & Morris, M. E. (2002). A room with a cue: Personality judgments based on offices and bedrooms.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology ,  82 , 379–398.

Gregg, A. P., Seibt, B., & Banaji, M. R. (2006). Easier done than undone: Asymmetry in the malleability of implicit preferences.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology ,  90 , 1–20.

Gunaydin, G., Selcuk, E., & Zayas, V. (2017). Impressions based on a portrait predict, 1-month later, impressions following a live interaction.  Social Psychological and Personality Science ,  8 , 36–44.

Harris, M. J., & Garris, C. P. (2008). You never get a second chance to make a first impression: Behavioral consequences of first impressions. In N. Ambady & J. J. Skowronski (Eds.), First impressions (pp. 147–168). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Higgins, E.T., Rholes, W.S., & Jones, C.R. (1977). Category accessibility and impression formation. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 13 , 141–154.

Mann, T. C., & Ferguson, M. J. (2015). Can we undo our first impressions? The role of reinterpretation in reversing implicit evaluations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108 , 823–849.

Moskowitz, G. B. (1993). Individual differences in social categorization: The effects of personal need for structure on spontaneous trait inferences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65 , 132–142.

Moskowitz, G. B., & Olcaysoy Okten, I. (2016). Spontaneous goal inference (SGI).  Social and Personality Psychology Compass ,  10 , 64–80.

Nordstrom, C. R., Hall, R. J., & Bartels, L. K. (1998). First impressions versus good impressions: The effect of self-regulation on interview evaluations.  The Journal of Psychology ,  132 , 477–491.

Olcaysoy Okten, I., & Moskowitz, G. B. (2017a). How ideology shapes implicit inference: Spontaneous goal inference versus spontaneous trait inference. Manuscript invited for revision and resubmission.

Olcaysoy Okten, I., & Moskowitz, G. B. (2017b). Updating spontaneous trait inferences. Manuscript in preparation.

Olcaysoy Okten, I., & Moskowitz, G. B. (2018). Goal versus trait explanations: Causal attributions beyond the trait-situation dichotomy.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology . doi: 10.1037/pspa0000104

Payne, B. K., Burkley, M. A., & Stokes, M. B. (2008). Why do implicit and explicit attitude tests diverge? The role of structural fit.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology ,  94 , 16–31.

Peck, B. M., & Denney, M. (2012). Disparities in the conduct of the medical encounter: The effects of physician and patient race and gender.  Sage Open ,  2 . doi:10.1177/2158244012459193

Rydell, R. J., & McConnell, A. R. (2006). Understanding implicit and explicit attitude change: A systems of reasoning analysis.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology ,  91 , 995–1008.

Snyder, M., & Swann, W. B. (1978). Hypothesis-testing processes in social interaction.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology ,  36 , 1202–1212.

Snyder, M., Tanke, E. D., & Berscheid, E. (1977). Social perception and interpersonal behavior: On the self-fulfilling nature of social stereotypes.  Journal of Personality and social Psychology ,  35 , 656–666.

Swider, B. W., Barrick, M. R., & Harris, T. B. (2016). Initial impressions: What they are, what they are not, and how they influence structured interview outcomes.  Journal of Applied Psychology ,  101 , 625–638.

Uleman, J. S., Blader, S., & Todorov, A. (2005). Implicit impressions. In R. Hassin, J. S. Uleman, & J. A. Bargh (Eds.), The new unconscious (pp. 362–392). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Willis, J., & Todorov, A. (2006). First impressions: Making up your mind after a 100-ms exposure to a face.  Psychological Science ,  17 , 592–598.

Wyer, N. A. (2016). Easier done than undone…by some of the people, some of the time: The role of elaboration in explicit and implicit group preferences.  Journal of Experimental Social Psychology ,  63 , 77–85.

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About the Author

Irmak Olcaysoy Okten is a fifth-year PhD student in the social psychology program at Lehigh University. She examines issues relating to the roles of biases in the processes of person perception, impression formation, and memory during interpersonal interactions as well as the effect of perceivers’ goals on these processes.

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First Impression Significance Essay

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The first meeting of two people makes up the most importance in their relationship. On the first encounter between two or more people, each undoubtedly asks unconsciously whether the other person will be fit for them in terms of the objective of their meeting. First impressions are an evolutionary trait of humans to adapt adequately and participate in society interactions.

Additionally, first impressions depend on the observer and the person observed. Most empirical research on first impression shows that persons are most attracted to other persons who show a tendency to accept them, as they would like to. This paper describes how first impressions are made and why they are important to the functioning of any society.

We make first impressions as a preliminary mode of adaptation to the other person and therefore the impressions made are in no way definitive. As we get to interact more with the other person, our preliminary impressions undergo a modification. However, this does not imply that we completely overhaul our initial impression of the other person; instead, our initial impressions make the basis of our further scrutiny and refinement of subsequent impressions.

An experiment by the American psychologist, Solomon Asch demonstrates the above point in practice. In the experiment, the psychologist drafted six qualities of an individual and then gave the qualities to two groups of students and asked them to describe the individual in their own words. Each group received a different order of the same six qualities of the individual.

The first group received the six qualities in the order of the most positive to the least positive while the second group received an opposite arrangement, from the least positive quality to the most positive quality.

The experiment’s result showed that the first group interpreted the negative qualities of the individual in the view of the individual’s positive qualities thus indicating that the group had formed a positive preliminary perception of the individual. Contrariwise the second group viewed the individual positive qualities as minor qualities of the individual’s overall negative personality.

This result indicates that the second group relied on the sequence of delivery of qualities to form their initial perception. From the results of the experiment, it is clear that an individual form the preliminary perception of another person based on what attribute of the other person shows up first.

The degree of accuracy of first impressions depends significantly on the observer and the observed person. First impressions determine how we handle the next step of getting to know the other person as the example of psychologist Solomon Asch has demonstrated. The experiment only highlights first impressions in a controlled environment, however, the reality governing first impressions is much complex.

Humans use first impressions as an evolutionary instinct of survival. According to psychology, it only takes three seconds for a person to form a first impression of another person. The brief exposure to the other person’s behavior and characteristics is enough for individuals to form an opinion whether further interaction with the other person will be of any benefit. As an evolutionary trait, the interpretation of the brief exposure to the other person’s behavior serves as a shield in interpersonal relationships in an unknown societal setting.

In medieval times, people used first impressions to gauge the other person or group’s chances of inflicting harm or being beneficial. In the modern world, survival is different. Survival is in terms of meeting our goals, fulfilling our desires, finishing tasks, accurately predicting the future and avoiding danger whether physical or psychological.

Although the perceiver may honestly create a first impression, the perceived individual may only be pretending. A person’s way of interpreting the brief exposure of behavior during first encounters with other persons determines how they proceed in their relation to the stranger.

On the other hand, individuals expect others to form a first impression of their behaviors and therefore go to great lengths in ensuring that only what they desire to demonstrate is actually captured by their perceiver. Therefore, individuals do not rely on first impressions only in their formation of an opinion of a stranger’s character.

Similarity of the encounter with previous encounters significantly affects how an individual will perceive another. Secondly, the similarities of the stranger’s observable characteristics with those characteristics that the perceiver is examining also contribute to the final perception. Due to this fact, individuals tend to look for what is common between them and use their value of the common factor to perceive the other person.

So if the stranger’s only similarity is a depiction of a characteristic that is very mild in the perceiver’s awareness, then the overall judgment formed is skeptical and subject to further scrutiny. However when the opposite is the case, an individual forms a favorable perception of the stranger and further scrutiny happens to support the already formed perception. This attribute of first impressions is in tandem with the findings of psychologist Solomon Asch as explained earlier in this paper.

Despite the high probability of individuals in getting their first impressions wrong, society goes to great lengths to develop mechanisms intended for creating first impressions. In work relations and careers, resumes and interviews exist to help employers to perceive their potential employees. However, the same avenues also allow potential employees to falsify their actual behavior and competency to create a similarity with that of the potential employer.

In the medical field, physicians and nurses rely on the initial description of a condition by their patients as well as the observable traits of their patients to deduce the kind of medication and care appropriate for the patient. In interpersonal relationships, persons use the setting of their first encounter, their stereotypic view of the behavior demonstrated by the stranger and their intention for meeting to form a perception.

The formation of first impressions is fundamental to people’s social perception and social cognition. The individual’s evolution of understanding others in a setting that lacks a constant social hierarchy is heavily dependent on this attribute. As a result, the creation of first impressions is a dynamic process that constantly incorporates previously learnt and experienced aspects of perceiving other people’s suitability for association.

As the society becomes more aware of the importance of first impressions, some individuals strive to ensure that their behaviors, as depicted to others, are a reflection of who they want to be instead of their actual self. On the other hand, new forms appear together with the refinement of stereotypes to ensure that first impressions are accurate. The result is a constant formulation of new strategies and mechanisms of creating first impressions to reduce the tendency of making inaccurate perceptions.

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• Ecological Theory of Perception by D. Gibson
• Social influence and anti social behaviour
• First Impressions Significance - Psychology
• Biology and Human Emotions - Psychology
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - Psychology
• Managing Stress and Depression at Work Places - Psychology
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IELTS Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

First impressions are highly important. So, some people think that doing well in interviews is the key to securing a good job. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

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Model essay #1:, first impressions are highly important. so, some people think that doing well in interviews is the key to securing a good job. to what extent do you agree or disagree.

First impressions are indeed crucial, and for many individuals, excelling in interviews is seen as the primary factor in obtaining a desirable job. While I agree that interviews play a significant role, I believe that other factors also contribute to securing a good job.

Undeniably, interviews provide an opportunity for candidates to showcase their skills, qualifications, and personality traits. A strong performance in an interview can leave a lasting impression on the employer, thus increasing the chances of securing the job. For instance, a friend of mine recently landed a prestigious position at a leading company due to her exceptional performance during the interview, where she effectively communicated her expertise and enthusiasm.

However, excelling in interviews alone may not guarantee job success. Employers often consider various other aspects such as work experience, educational qualifications, and professional references. Additionally, a candidate's reputation in the industry and their track record of accomplishments can significantly influence the hiring decision. For example, a study conducted by a renowned employment agency revealed that employers prioritize candidates with a proven track record of delivering results over those who simply perform well in interviews.

Furthermore, networking and personal connections can also play a pivotal role in securing a good job. Many opportunities arise through referrals and recommendations from professional contacts, which may bypass the traditional interview process altogether.

In conclusion, while performing well in interviews is undeniably important, it is not the sole determining factor in securing a good job. Employers consider a range of criteria, including qualifications, experience, reputation, and personal connections. Therefore, a holistic approach that encompasses various aspects is crucial for obtaining a desirable job.

Model Essay #2:

While it is commonly believed that excelling in interviews is the key to securing a good job, I disagree to a certain extent and believe that interviews play a crucial role in the hiring process.

Firstly, interviews provide a platform for employers to assess a candidate's communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and overall demeanor. A candidate who performs well in an interview can demonstrate their suitability for the job and leave a positive first impression. For example, a recent study conducted by a leading human resources firm revealed that candidates who excelled in interviews were more likely to be offered the job compared to those who underperformed.

Moreover, interviews allow employers to gauge a candidate's cultural fit within the organization. A candidate who presents themselves confidently and articulately during an interview can convey their alignment with the company's values and work culture. This can be exemplified by a personal experience where a colleague's impressive performance in an interview not only secured the job but also led to rapid integration within the company.

However, it is important to acknowledge that securing a good job entails more than just excelling in interviews. Employers also consider a candidate's qualifications, relevant experience, and potential for growth within the role. In addition, factors such as networking, referrals, and industry reputation can also influence the hiring decision.

In conclusion, while excelling in interviews is undoubtedly important, it is not the sole determinant of securing a good job. Interviews provide a valuable opportunity for candidates to showcase their skills and for employers to assess their suitability, but other factors such as qualifications, experience, and networking also play significant roles in the hiring process.

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Ielts essay # 1188 - your first impressions when you meet someone are always right, ielts writing task 2/ ielts essay:, some people say that your first impressions when you meet someone are always right., to what extent do you agree with this statement.

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