First impression pros & cons
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Whenever you meet someone for the first time, what is the first thing you notice about them? Do you notice their hair, eyes? Maybe the way they stand, if they’re smiling or not, or the way they talk? When many people meet a new person, they create a mental description of them in their head, and many try to judge a person’s character in the first 10 seconds of first meeting them.
A lot of people decide if they like or dislike a person by their looks or their body image and the way they speak in the first few seconds of seeing or meeting them. We categorize them in a similar amount of time. I’ve spoken to a few people, mostly friends and teachers, about what causes them to judge a person or put them into a specific category when they first meet a person and got many different responses: hair, eyes, posture, if they’re smiling or not, skin color, height, size, where they are, if they have any tattoos, what they’re wearing and so on.
In some situations, analyzing a person and judging them quickly is a good thing. In others, it is not.
For example, when an employer goes to hire an employee, looking at the person and listening to how the person talks could give them a good idea if the person is right for the job and if they’ll work well with clients. In school, doing the same thing could lead to bullying, which is a big issue around the United States and many other places.
In the case of judging a person on physical appearance, such as their size, height, eyes or dental hygiene, that is something no one can really control on their own, unlike if they’re smiling or what they’re wearing.
Some people could look at you and immediately make you think they will be nice, but the person could be someone you don’t want to associate with.
There are many types of people in the world, and many people you will meet in your lifetime. You may not decide you like them all.
There could be no way to stop yourself from putting people into these categories. Maybe the man down the street from you looks scary, but is the nicest person you’ll ever meet, or the girl that rarely talks may be the funniest, most vivacious person you would ever know.
Madeline Jackson is a sophomore at Avella Area Junior/Senior High School.