Interesting Psychology Team
7 – Your Voice
People can usually tell if you’re interested, friendly, sad, nervous, or tired based on how you sound. Not only that, but they also make judgments based on the attractiveness of your voice. Furthermore, they will make certain assumptions about trust and dominance.
Studies have shown that those with deeper voices are perceived to be more dominant, extroverted, and more interested in casual hook-ups.
8 – Eye Contact
Avoiding eye contact during conversations can make you seem anxious, self-conscious, or dishonest, putting extroverts at a somewhat unfair advantage. Introverts and those who are shy have difficulty maintaining eye contact for prolonged periods.
This is particularly true if they’re nervous when meeting someone new. Conversely, extroverts and those who are confident don’t have this issue.
Regardless of whether they’re talking to an old friend or a random person they sit next to on the subway, they have no problem making eye contact.
9 – How Often You Talk About Yourself
Have you ever met someone who always seems to make the conversation about them? It may not even be intentional or in a bad way. They may just be really excited to have found someone like-minded with shared interests, and want to seem relatable.
However, others may be put off by this and interpret it as egocentric or self-obsessed behavior. Instead, it’s better to ask some questions to learn more about them. People love talking about themselves, so it will show genuine concern for the budding friendship.
10 – Trustworthiness
The subconscious goal of first impression judgments is to determine whether or not you can be trusted. Regardless of the situation, if someone deems you untrustworthy, any efforts to further the relationship are unlikely to be successful.
You get one shot at making a first impression, and failing to establish trust at that time could lead to being deemed as manipulative. When that happens, people will generally try to distance themselves.
Now, when you appear authentic, others won’t see you as a threat and they’ll want to know more about you.
11 – Phone Usage Patterns
New smartphones are constantly being released, and there’s an app for everything now. As a result, everyone is becoming increasingly reliant on these handheld devices. It’s the alarm most people wake up to, and serves as everything from a calculator to a navigation system throughout the day. But, your phone habits influence how other people perceive you.
In one sense, our phones are great at keeping us connected, however, they can also alienate us from each other. When you check your phone every time a notification goes off, it can make those around you feel unimportant, as if they have to compete for your attention. Being too attached can come off as rude and unprofessional.
12 – The Way You Treat Others
Imagine being out at a business lunch, and your new colleague completely demeans the waitstaff. That shows a lot about their ego and personality. How you treat others, especially those of lower status or social standing, influences how others perceive you.
When you don’t show respect or compassion, simply because you make more money than someone else, others typically view this negatively. Basically, the way you treat others influences everyone else’s judgment about you.
So, when you go out of your way to do something kind, such as holding the door open for a stranger, you’ll be perceived positively. While judging and being judged seems unfair or even cruel, it’s a natural reaction to see if the person you’ve just met is trustworthy and respectable. But don’t get hung up on being judged. Just be your authentic self.
While first impressions do matter, those who end up getting to know you better have the benefit of learning about the real you.
