Eyes and Voice: Six little things that lead to prejudice

First impression
Dress, look and handshake: Six little things that others use to judge you

This text first appeared here brigitte.de.

Of course, we all know that we cannot get to know other people and judge them at a glance – 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 our attitude towards them as we get to know them, largely based on our prior experience.

But what exactly do we notice most about others when we first make an impression – and they about us – and how exactly does that affect us? Let’s put it this way: Actually, it’s mostly trivialities …

1. The clothes

Your clothing style, i.e. whether you z. For example, if you walk around in a more elegant or sporty-casual manner, it largely determines whether others see you as successful and ambitious or easy-going 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 vivacity.

2. The look

Do you look the other person in the eye? Does your gaze wander restlessly from one point to another? Or is your gaze down and on your feet? Whatever is behind it, for the other person it decides whether they see you as confident and polite, unfocused and unfriendly, or insecure and withdrawn.

3. The handshake

Those who gently squeeze are seen as trustworthy and likeable, those who squeeze as dominant and domineering, and those who simply hold out a seemingly lifeless hand and do nothing with it give 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 everyone subconsciously asks themselves when they first meet are: Is this person competent? Is this person a good person? The voice plays a role above all for the first question. We tend to associate deep, calm voices with competence and trustworthiness, while shrill, loud ones with insecurity, incompetence and unreliability. But at least it’s easier to surprise others positively with a beeping voice.

5. Posture

Shoulders hunched, fingers playing with something, legs crossed – you could hardly make an unsafe first impression on others. On the other hand, if your posture is open and relaxed and your hands are steady, you come across as happy, confident, and likeable to others.

6. Smile

Anyone who smiles draws almost everyone to their side. Studies have shown that smiling when you first meet someone means that the person you are talking to remembers us better and feels a direct connection to us. However, it should of course best come from the heart – a fake smile is more likely to deter and make you suspicious.

Source used: Psychology Today

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