Havard Psychologist Two questions form our first impression

We are either critical of new people or we like them right away. But why is that? These and other questions were examined by a team led by Amy Cuddy of the renowned Havard University. They found that one to three questions tell our subconscious whether we like someone nice or not.

First impression arises within a tenth of a second
When we meet somebody for the first time, our brains need only a fraction of a second to judge the unknown. But what determines how we assess someone? How is it that one person manages to leave a good impression while feeling uncomfortable near another? According to Harvard Professor Amy Cuddy, two specific questions would play a key role, each subconsciously encountering a hitherto unknown person.

One, two questions and we know whether we like our counterpart or not. Picture: DDRockstar - fotolia

The first question is therefore "How trustworthy does my counterpart?", Explains Cuddy to the British "Independent". Even at the first meeting, we would subconsciously decide whether the other person was a friend, partner, etc., or instead an "enemy", according to the psychologist, who has been working on the topic "the first impression" for more than 15 years and only then recently published a book entitled "Presence".

Trust more important than competence
The second question for judging a stranger loudly, "How competent do I judge the other?" Cuddy continues. According to the expert, most people would believe in a professional context that competence is the more important factor as they want to prove that they are smart and talented enough for a particular job. In fact, warmth and trustworthiness are the more important criteria when evaluating other people. "From an evolutionary perspective, it is more crucial to our survival to know if a person deserves our trust," explains the psychologist. For it was even more important to the cavemen to know whether their opponent wanted to rob or kill them, instead of whether they could build a good fire.

Overachieving people often seem aloof
Although competence is valued so highly, it only sets in when one has already been classified as trustworthy by the other. Whoever, for example, Focusing too much on highlighting one's own strengths during a job interview could in the end be self-harming. Because such over-committed and ambitious people would often appear aloof and would thus have fewer opportunities in professional life.

"If you try to influence someone before you gain their trust, you usually do not get very far. They look suspicious because they make you manipulative, "says the psychologist. "A warm, trustworthy person, strong as well, elicits admiration from the other person, but only after you build a bond of trust, your strength becomes a gift rather than a threat."

Smooth skin makes the opposite appear more credible
Researchers at Jacobs University in Bremen recently came to the conclusion that apparently the appearance of the skin also plays a decisive role in the first assessment of other people. Accordingly, a study had shown that the appearance of the skin is crucial for the assessment of the credibility and competence of the opposite. On the one hand, smooth skin would appear healthier than impure, and there would be an indirect effect in that an immaculate skin without pimples and skin reddening would suggest maturity and expertise, the scientists say. (No)