We are told that first impressions are often the most powerful. And sometimes we are told we are better to sleep on it.
New research shows that both propositions are pretty right.
A study by Duke University found, when it comes to forming an overall opinion of something, we are “unduly” influenced by the first information we encounter.
This is the case even when new facts come to light.
Given this, the study also suggested that “sleeping on it” can help avoid making poor snap judgements.
Duke professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences Alison Adcock said judging from first impressions could be a good thing for some choices.
“Say you’re watching the opening scene of a movie or skimming the first few pages of a book. Quick snap judgements based on these initial impressions can help us decide when it might be better to move on before we invest too much time and effort,” she said.
“But when it comes to situations with longer-term stakes – for example, going back to a restaurant, or hiring or dating – there’s wisdom in the idea of ‘sleeping on it’ before making a decision.”
The research, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology used an imaginary garage sale to gauge how people make decisions.
The researchers asked participants to look through virtual boxes of unwanted goods for items to include in the sale.
The participants earned real cash based on the boxes they chose, so they were motivated to decide which boxes were most valuable.
“Unbeknown to the participants, however, the combined total value of the 20 items in each box was the same,” the study report said.
“In some of the boxes, all the valuable items were on top, so as the participants unpacked the box, they spotted those items first. Other boxes had their valuable items clustered in the middle or at the bottom, and in some boxes they were intermixed.”
Some participants judged the value of the boxes immediately and some made decisions after delaying overnight.
The researchers observed that when participants had to make an immediate decision tended to judge boxes by the first few items they came across.
Participants who “slept on it” no longer overwhelmingly preferred the boxes that made a good first impression.
The full report is on the Duke University website.
