We were taught that a book shouldn't be judged by its cover. In theory, this makes perfect sense. However, in reality, this is impractical and, at best, very difficult. First impressions, no matter how minute or seemingly insignificant the encounter may seem, can play a huge role in determining the actions of others. A first impression is eternal and has the influential ability to “make or break” a situation regardless of whether the perceived notion is accurate or not. OrganizedKhaos (2009) suggested that “this cognitive tendency influences our lives in numerous ways and goes unnoticed most of the time (para. 6). First impressions develop almost instantly and unconsciously. Winerman (2005) states that “people often judge each other based on immediate intuitions. We continually make snap judgments about strangers” (p. 54). Within seconds of meeting a stranger, we have the uncanny ability to pick up on and decipher their posture, gaze, tone of voice, body position, gestures and facial expressions. This results in our split-second judgment of what kind of person this individual is. This, in turn, becomes a first impression or “gut instinct.” A minimum exposure time of one tenth of a second is sufficient for people to make a specific inference from facial appearance, is the claim of Willis and Todorov (2006). Once this first impression is made, it is ingrained in our minds and is not easily overcome. Judgments are already anchored in the initial inference. Determining the extent to which these fleeting moments of judgment impact our lives is difficult, as one rarely openly admits what one's first impression is of someone one has just... made of paper ......aspects of a person's behavior. person, which can lead to misjudgments and misperceptions. ReferencesClifford, M., & Walster, E. 1973. “The Effect of Physical Attractiveness on Teacher Expectations.” Sociology of Education vol. 46, No. 2:248-58.OrganizedKhaos. (2009, February 24). The halo effect: learned behavior? [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/3889Willis, J., & Todorov, A. (2006). First impressions: Making a decision after a 100 ms exposure to a face. Psychological Science (Wiley-Blackwell), 17(7), 592-598. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01750.xWinerman, L. (2005, March). “Thin slices” of life: Psychologists are discovering that our first impressions of others can be remarkably accurate, but also disappoint us. Monitor onPsychology, 36(3). Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/mar05