Psychology: 6 little things people judge you by when you get to know them

psychology
6 little things that make others judge you – without knowing you

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

These 6 little things affect a person’s first impression

1. The clothes

Your clothing style, i.e. whether you For example, whether you walk around in a more elegant or sporty-casual way determines whether others see you as successful and ambitious or relaxed and approachable. According to “Psychology Today”, colors also play a major role: muted and dark tones are usually associated with creativity and sensitivity, while strong, bright colors are associated with extroversion and liveliness.

2. The look

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for your counterpart whether they think you are self-confident and polite, unfocused and unfriendly, or insecure and withdrawn.

3. The handshake

Those who squeeze gently are seen as trustworthy and likeable, those who squeeze are seen as dominant and domineering, and those who simply hold out a seemingly lifeless hand and do nothing with it leave the impression that he or she is 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 each other are: Is this person competent? Is this person a good person? The voice plays a particularly important role in the first question mentioned. We tend to associate deep, calm voices with competence and trustworthiness, while shrill, loud voices are associated with insecurity, incompetence and unreliability. But at least you can surprise others in a positive way more easily with a squeaky voice.

5. The posture

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

6. Smile

Anyone who smiles will win over almost everyone. Studies have shown that smiling when we first meet each other means that the other person remembers us better and feels directly connected to us. However, it should of course come from the heart – a fake smile tends to scare people and make them suspicious.

Source used: Psychology Today

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Bridget