Why A Positive First Impression Is Essential

First impressions count—for individuals, for businesses, even for websites. That isn’t exactly new information, but have you ever wondered just why that first hunch you have about someone (or that they have about you) is so hard to shake?

Social psychologist Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson explains in this Big Think video that it is a case of confirmation bias. Whatever your brain first perceived, it will seek to confirm as it takes in new information.

That first impression can be overcome, she says, but it takes time and effort. Listen in to hear how.

If you are about to make that critical first impression with a new job in marketing, we have a guide to getting your new role off to strong start. Download The First 100 Days: How to Succeed in Your New Marketing Job and help your new colleagues confirm that their awesome first impression of you was correct.

Now, tell us about the biggest first impression impact someone has made on you—positive or negative—and whether it turned out to be true.