Judging: 6 little things that people pay attention to when they first get to know each other

First impression
6 little things that others use to judge you – without knowing you

Of course, we all know that we cannot get to know other people at a glance and judge them – and yet: As a rule, we are largely defenseless against the power of the first impression. What we perceive in a person within the first few fleeting seconds shapes our image of them as well as our attitude towards them as we get to know them, largely based on our previous experience. But what exactly do we perceive most strongly in others when we make a first impression – and they in us – and how exactly does that influence us? Let’s put it this way: Actually, it’s mostly trivial …

This is how we judge: 6 little things that have a decisive influence on the first impression

1. The clothes

Your style of clothing, e.g. whether you B. walking around in a more elegant or sporty casual way, decides significantly whether others consider you successful and ambitious or easy going and accessible. According to “Psychology Today”, colors also play a major role: muted and dark tones are usually associated with creativity and sensitivity, while strong, light colors are associated with extroversion and liveliness.

2. The look

Do you look your counterpart in the eye? Does your gaze wander restlessly from one point to the other? Or is your gaze lowered and fixed on your feet? Whatever lies behind it, for your counterpart it will decide whether they think you are self-confident and polite, unfocused and unfriendly or insecure and withdrawn.

3. The handshake

Those who squeeze gently are considered trustworthy and personable, those who squeeze are dominant and domineering, and those who simply hold out a seemingly lifeless hand and do nothing with it leave the impression that they are weak or lazy. Whether a hand is cold, warm or sweaty usually plays a smaller role than its performance.

4. The voice

The two questions that almost all people unconsciously ask themselves when they first meet them are: Is this person competent? Is this person a good person? The voice plays a role especially for the first question. We tend to associate deep, calm voices with competence and trustworthiness, while shrill, loud voices, on the other hand, mean insecurity, incompetence and unreliability. But at least it is easier to surprise others positively with a beeping voice.

5. The posture

Shoulders hunched up, fingers playing with something, legs crossed – you could hardly make an insecure first impression on others. If, on the other hand, your posture is open and relaxed and your hands are calm, you appear immediately happy, self-confident and sympathetic to others.

6. Smile

If you smile, you will attract almost everyone to your side. According to studies, smiling the first time you get to know each other leads to the fact that the other person remembers us better and feels directly connected to us. However, it should of course be taken from the heart – a fake smile is more of a deterrent and makes you suspicious.

Source used: Psychology Today

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Brigitte