People are quick to make certain judgements. Our minds have evolved to excel at drawing conclusions from minimal data and thinking quickly using heuristics and mental models.
But some judgements are more reliable than others. When it comes to judging people, first impressions are quick, easy, and compelling — but are they accurate?
Alex Todorov found that we can form impressions of people in 1–10th of a second by relying on certain cues that aren’t always reflective of what we think they are. We stereotype people.
“One-tenth of a second of viewing provided ample face information for our participants to make up their minds. The effect of additional time was to simply increase confidence in their judgments.”
Todorov has conducted research that shows that people judged the competence and likability of faces. What the participants didn’t know was that the faces were of political candidates.
The faces judged more competent were also the people voted into office (likability didn’t say very much). What facial features reflect competence? A strong chin and slight confident smile.
