The Power of First Impressions
by Benjamin Laski | Thursday, Apr 17, 2025Throughout my two decades of life, I’ve always felt keenly aware of how people felt about me, or more accurately, tried to gauge their opinions from what I could glean. As a person on the spectrum, I sometimes lack the proper tools to fully comprehend the breadth of intricacies in the social world while stuck between awareness and complete understanding with less ability to change than I may hope. I fear people are irritated or off-put by my mannerisms and how I conduct myself or that they merely see me as a source of eccentric entertainment, not a real person with feelings. I think I am at least somewhat accurate in my judgments. All of my thoughts on this ultimately track back to the way of first impressions, the initial gut judgments you have on meeting a person, and while I credit my general behaviors to the continued impressions others may have, that primary view always makes me think about this more. How can I manage that initial way when people see me?
Almost all of us wish to be well-liked, so we do what is called impression management, which is exactly what it sounds like and involves monitoring our appearance and actions. Hence, we have some level of control over how others view us. Of course, the initial impression is either the one we are the most careful with or the least careful. I often fall into the latter category, especially when I’m not consciously attempting or prioritizing something. So, how do we best manage the impressions we give other people? Tools for such actions are things like self-presentation, or the way you show and express yourself to others to create favorable impressions, and self-monitoring, or how you monitor your own behavior to make sure your impression on others is positive. You often use these tools after making a first impression unless you are actively involved in such a thing. So you may accidentally give a negative first impression, such as coming across as annoying or boorish. That impression may be challenging to change once it has settled in other people's minds.
That begs the question, though, how do I change myself? The impression I give to other people, and more specifically, the first impression, is something I have to alter. Do I generally try and ‘fix’ how I act? Do I try to keep myself quiet and polite, even when naturally inclined towards something more active and outgoing, which can be off-putting to people? So, do I try to judge how certain people will react based on the social setting and surroundings, adjusting my behavior and presentation to any potential audience? I could make other general changes, like increased awareness of my body language and composure, as I often pay little attention to those specifics, thinking general politeness is enough. I need to adjust more about how I show myself to the world, ranging from how I present and act during conversations to acting generally friendly and polite while maintaining interest in their actions. Also, I prioritize not engaging with others when I am not prepared to manage my impressions. My behavior, both verbal and nonverbal, needs to be more actively tempered and controlled, memorable, but in a generally positive way. Their implicit perception of who I am, that split second where they make their first gut based judgment, needs to be set up in the best way possible so their implicit and explicit perceptions of me are good.
Overall, the first impression is just the guiding light to all the impressions that come afterward, as how you interact and present to someone before influences how they will think of you in the long term, which is why it is key to have a good foundation for such things. I simply want people to like and respect me, whether they be strangers, peers, acquaintances, friends, or even family, and all of that starts with a good first impression. You can’t control others' thoughts or actions, but you can do things that will affect how others perceive and think of you? I have embraced the social bomb and will either have to be who I am without control or monitor and manage myself so that the first impressions I leave upon others are favorable.
Works Cited
Jhangiani, Dr. R., & Tarry, Dr. H. (2022, January 26). 5.1 initial Impression Formation. Principles of Social Psychology 1st International H5P Edition. https://opentextbc.ca/socialpsychology/chapter/initial-impression-formation/
Koehler, J. (2023, April 6). Unlocking the hidden potential of first impressions. Psychology Today. Psychology Todayhttps://www.psychologytoday.comUnlocking the Hidden Potential of First Impressions
Myers, D. G., & Twenge, J. M. (n.d.). SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY