How Much Does A First Impression Impact Your Overall Judgement of a Person?

[Aesop Rocks]

This could be taken in either a romantic or friend route, doesn't matter.

But I was just thinking about this earlier, and how I basically wrapped my entire head around the entire aspect of a new cart pusher we got at work, and it seems I was wrong about him, for the most part. Based on first seeing him, I came to the conclusion that he was annoying, lazy, and unmotivated.

Turns out I was wrong about the lazy and unmotivated parts.

In terms of a talking to a girl, which I was eventually FRIEND-ZONED, I assumed she was easy. Really easy. Kind of the only reason I talked to her. But, eventually, we actually began talking and she became a really complex person and ****.

YOU?

 

[The Geek Vault]

I've had this happen before where people suprise me. One of my best friends suprised me like that I thought that he was just a goof all the time but then he became an RA this year and got serious when he had to. The weirdest things are when you have a judgement about people and they let you down for instance I thought a friend of mine was going to be great at leading this group, and when he started he just didn't do a good job at all and I was like whaaaa

 

[S.A.A.D.]

Let me just put it this way,in most cases for me it turns out to be a break deal. I'm actually not too kind to people who have no beef with stuff that I effing hate(this is not to be mistaken for "that I hate") and how they lack weight,substance. Individuals who are wayyyyyyyyyyyy too one sided and predictable. I literally don't act unkind to them to their faces,I keep it to myself,especially at work.

 

[THE MR. TERRIFIC]

In this journey I like to call life I've found that you can never judge a book by it's cover. You have to get to know a person first before you can begin to formulate and opinion about them.

 

[S.A.A.D.]

You are right to a degree.

 

[AllyBabble]

Back at college I moved into a different department in my second year, so did not know anyone bar like two people, and some new people started in their second year, after doing a foundation course elsewhere, so there was a lot of new people getting to know one another in the first few weeks.
One of the new guys was this guy who had a shaved head, wore a green 'US Army' t-shirt and was built like a rugby player(he used to be one). Whenever anyone talked about him they always refered to him as the guy who was/is a boxer(not true, he was just a big boxing fan).
We were sat in a project crit that was themed on song lyrics, and this guy was sitting with his army t-shirt and shaved head, arms folded, and the dude looked *angry*, lol.
so when he and his partner presented their project it was based on a Beatles song, and I noticed that the lyric they used was not from the song they said it was, usually i would have been a smartass pedant and pointed this out, but kept my mouth shut because....dude looked *angry*. This was not normal for me, I usually would pipe up at these things regardless. So i was intimidated.
So i ended up getting put on a project with him a few weeks later, making a video with two other students, two guys, two girls. We decided to film it up at his flat as it was close by.
I get there and the guy has lots of cool albums, some I was heavily into, Bruce Lee poster, good taste all round, he breaks out the vodka, we both partake, shoot the video, get on great.
He turned out to be a highly sensitive, easy going guy, became one of my best friends, and it has been a long standing friendship for the last 14yrs.

 

[THE MR. TERRIFIC]

Now he's your body guard!

 

[Manic]

Do you call him Betty?





What? Listen to a Paul Simon song.

 

[Ghostvirus]

The problem that I have found about not judging a book by its cover, is that sometimes you are pretty far into the book before you realise it is sh**. But then you realise you may it is going to be a hassle to just put the book down.

I have had this happen on numerous occassions where I think a person is cool. & then suddenly they introduce me to there stuffed badger collection that they play with. & I am like of sh**.

 

[Marx]

I'm usually pretty spot on when it comes to first impressions.

 

[AllyBabble]

MrTerrific: yeah, he actually did help me out in a scrape with some club bouncers once, maybe more, i only recall one right now, but i also saw this guy fight 5 guys at the same time, while he was dressed as Zorro, lol, on halloween, i arrived on the scene just as the cops pulled up, i would not have been much help there that day anyway, v hungover and skinny, lol.

Manic: i only know the Simon and Garfunkle stuff, but i am guessing that is a song about the joint, lol.

 

[Harls]

I don't try to judge people, but it comes naturally. So when someone has a certain first impression, until I converse with them more and get to know them better, that first impression sticks. After we know each other a little more, the first impression fades away into the background.

 

[E-Man]

First impressions are overrated. There is a comfort zone that has to be reached in order for a person to act like themselves around somebody else. When someone first meets another person they are trying to represent themselves through popular cliches in order to seem appealing enough to develop a further relationship. Some people are comfortable being themselves around complete strangers, but most people are not. Most people will put up a well meaning front, and when they realize that a friendship is built they'll start expressing themselves more honestly.

 

[knowsbleed]

Do you call him Betty?





What? Listen to a Paul Simon song.

My mother thought that was really Chevy Chase singing in that video. I told her she was stupid.

 

[Timstuff]

More and more I'm discovering first impressions don't mean squat to me. I've met people who seemed perfectly nice at first, but then they turned out to be total A-holes after knowing them for a while. Then there are other people who I thought were weird when I first met them but they ended up being some of my best friends. In general I think you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover.

 

[Hobgoblin]

First impressions dont mean much to me. People are complex and you need to give them time to reveal their full personalities.

 

[Hurm...]

I'm usually pretty spot on when it comes to first impressions.

Same here.

 

[TheDreamMaster]

I try to get to know people, but sometimes my first impressions of people do tend to affect me if it is not a long meeting. However, I try not to do let them for one reason:

A friend of mine introduced me to his friend. The three of us hung out one night and he sounded like a pretty cool guy. I left. A few months later I asked about him and my friend told me "He hates you because you are overweight." Not because my personality was bad, or not because of how I dressed, but because I was fat. My friend went on to say that he thinks it means I have no ambition, no motivation, and that it makes me a worthless person. So yeah, I try not to let a short first impression impact my view of someone.

 

[Eggyman]

my mother thought that was really chevy chase singing in that video. I told her she was stupid.

?!

Brb

 

[Bboy]

First impressions are lasting, but they're not defining.

 

[AndThePickles]

I have been the victim of bad first impressions of myself in the past, and I don't think it's fair to judge someone before you've even talked to them.

 

[Figs]

In this journey I like to call life I've found that you can never judge a book by it's cover. You have to get to know a person first before you can begin to formulate and opinion about them.

This.

I'm pretty shy around new people and it's mainly because I don't really open up since a lot of my experiences with people growing up were fairly bad, arrogance, snobbery and clicks at school which ties in with the previous two.

I hate it when people instantly assume you're not talking much at first because they think you're arrogant and better than everyone or you're anti-social, on the level where you just don't like people.

It may be my fault for the most part of not just saying **** IT! and forcing myself to be more social at first but it's not easy when you're naturally introverted.

 

[S.A.A.D.]

The problem that can lie with a first impression is that they can be so bad and so powerful that the damage can't be undone period,that happens on my side of the fence. However there are the very rare occasions.

 

[S.A.A.D.]

This.

I'm pretty shy around new people and it's mainly because I don't really open up since a lot of my experiences with people growing up were fairly bad, arrogance, snobbery and clicks at school which ties in with the previous two.

I hate it when people instantly assume you're not talking much at first because they think you're arrogant and better than everyone or you're anti-social, on the level where you just don't like people.

It may be my fault for the most part of not just saying **** IT! and forcing myself to be more social at first but it's not easy when you're naturally introverted.

Hell yeah that it isn't!!!

 

[SuperFerret]

First impressions and judging people based on their outward appearance is a valuable tool for society. How else will we know who to really screen at the airports and who to kinda half-ass screen so we don't look racist?


Honestly, I'm pretty good with first impressions and the few times I was proven wrong, it wasn't on the big things (for example, someone I thought was a stupid ******* wound up being smart, but still an *******).