Brain and 1st Impressions

You’ve no doubt heard that you have a mere 7 seconds in which an interviewer or a stranger will form an impression of you, an impression that is nearly indelible. Or is it 3 seconds? Take a deep breath: research indicates that you need to have your act together in the blink of an eye, in about 1/10 of a second. The brain appears hard wired to make hundreds if not thousands of lightening-speed computations when you meet another individual for the first time. Some say: ‘You never have a second chance to make a good first impression professionally and rarely have a second chance to make a good first impression on a personal level.’ In this, the Era of the Brain, you may want to revisit this topic. You may be going for a job interview or looking for a good pal if not a life partner or you may be retired and wanting a friend. Assuming you pass muster in that first 1/10 of a second, what else can you do to reinforce a positive impression? Part 2 tomorrow.

http://pss.sagepub.com/content/17/7/592.short?rss=1&ssource=mfc