Alastair Wallace breaks down how people judge you in seconds. 44% notice your eyes first, 33% your smile. Real smiles show crow's feet around the eyes, fake ones don't. Direct eye contact, a genuine smile, and a firm handshake make you seem more trustworthy and powerful.
First impressions fascinate me. How quickly we form them and the scientific research that shows what decisions we make about people. We've all got first impressions wrong before at work. Wrong name, wrong outfit, joke that falls flat. People decide certain things about you sometimes before you even open your mouth. Based on appearance, we decide how trustworthy, how promiscuous and how powerful we think you are. Beards, glasses, visible tattoos all make a difference to how we're perceived by others. 44% of people notice eyes first, 33% it's smile, 15% it's hands. So, eye contact— obvious. Most people can tell a fake smile. From a real smile due to the absence of what we call the Duchenne marker around the eyes. Look. Also known as crow's feet. So think of something funny, give your stranger your best pearly white smile while you shake hands and look them in the eye next time. P.S. Also works on dates.
