A Social Experiment in First Impressions

I thought this was an interesting social experiment in first impressions. I do not think it proves anything, but it is still interesting. It is fun watching the different responses people have as they interpret characteristics of people based on little more than first impressions. I think it would be fun to conduct a similar experiment with a variable that isn’t part of a marketing campaign.

A Social Experiment in First Impressions – Take Identical Twins, Give One of Them Gum…And Watch What Happens Next

“In psychology, a first impression is the event when one person first encounters another person and forms a mental image of that person. Impression accuracy varies depending on the observer and the target (person, object, scene, etc.) being observed. First impressions are based on a wide range of characteristics: age, race, culture, language, gender, physical appearance, accent, posture, voice, number of people present, and time allowed to process.” Wikipedia

I was thinking about the similarity to a documentary on Discovery Channel, part of the Science of Sex Series I watched years ago. This particular video demonstrates how cars, status, and money influence women’s attractiveness to men without them knowing its influence on their first impression in many cases. The social experiment does not have a large enough sample size to prove anything, but it is a fascinating example of the influence of first impressions.

Science of Sex Appeal: What Women Find Attractive – First Impressions

Photographs as First Impressions

“Researchers Drs. Vivian Zayas of Cornell University and Gül Günaydin of Middle East Technical University found that viewing a photograph can be a good predictor of how you will judge someone in person. Her new research shows that initial impressions based on viewing a single photograph accurately predict how a person will feel about the other person in a live interaction that takes place more than a month later.

“Moreover, participants’ initial judgments based on the photograph colored personality judgments following the interaction,” Zayas said. “The results showed that initial liking judgments based on a photograph remained unchanged even after obtaining more information about a person via an actual live interaction.”Society for Personality and Social Psychology

The power of ‘thin-slicing’ and First Impressions

“Professor Frank Bernieri of Oregon State University is an expert in what’s known as “thin-slicing methodology”. His research is based on the theory that we make a reasonably accurate assessment of a person from observing just a few seconds, or a “thin slice”, of their behavior. From the evidence gleaned in not much more than a few glances, we decide whether we like another person, whether they’re trying to flirt with us, whether they’re friends or foes. If you’ve ever changed seats on a train or crossed the road to avoid someone because there was something “not quite right about them”, you’ve used your ability to thin-slice. In that instance, you were probably aware of a gut instinct – you may have felt as if your sense of perception was heightened because there was the possibility of danger – but we thin-slice people in all kinds of situations, not just when we feel threatened. Speed dating is another example of thin-slicing in action.” The Guardian

All of the above are examples and theories of social first impressions. It is undeniable how important first impressions are in our professional, personal, and dating world, not to mention many other facets of life. Whether it is important to alter how we present our first impressions to others is our own choice based on what we value. It is also a personal choice for us to decide how much weight and influence our first impressions of others offer us. I question how much of this is visual and how much is energetic. Can we alter our energetic first impression, setting how they will judge us? My experience demonstrates that we can shift our energetic imprint through meditation practice with the correct training.

What is loudest for you when meeting someone new through the first impressions you feel in your mind and body? Do you trust your first impressions?

Other posts you may enjoy:

Surrender

I Am Not A Healer

The Art of Knowing is Knowing What to Ignore

Drop Dead Gorgeous Syndrome – Curse, Blessing or Both?

Does Kindness Make You More Attractive? Research Says Yes!

Do Something Good For Someone Else, and Don’t Get Caught – Kindness

11 Reasons Why You Should Never Hide How Weird You Are – Wordables

Michael Swerdloff

Providence Holistic Counseling Services