First Impression (Psychology)

In psychology, a first impression is the event in which one person first encounters another and forms a mental image of them; how accurate that impression is varies with both the observer and the person or thing being observed. First impressions draw on a wide range of characteristics, including age, race, culture, language, gender, physical appearance, accent, posture, voice, the number of people present, economic status, and the amount of time available to process the encounter. Because a first impression can shape how a person is treated and viewed across many later contexts of everyday life, the moment carries disproportionate weight relative to the brief exposure that produces it.