3 to 7 seconds is enough to form an opinion about the person we are looking at for the first time. This is of great importance both in our professional and private lives. What actually influences us to find some people attractive and trustworthy, while others do not meet with our sympathy?
At first, we judge another person based on their physical features, clothes, behavior and voice. Czech scientists have proven that people with brown eyes and slightly rounder faces inspire more trust than blue-eyed people. Research has shown that when assessing, we pay a lot of attention to the shape of the face, although this feature applies almost exclusively to the assessment of men. People with round faces, fuller lips and cheeks are more trustworthy to us and inspire us with more confidence. It turns out that both factors - eye color and face shape - are determined by the same gene.
This does not mean, however, that we have no influence on whether we will be perceived as trustworthy. Everything, every positive change in our lives, depends on us, so let's think about what little things we can change in our appearance, behavior and way of being so that our surroundings perceive us positively both in our private and professional lives.
Let's adapt our appearance to the occasion. Formal meetings require a little more effort from us. Appropriate attire, make-up, shaved facial hair and manicure for both women and men will help us during a business meeting, job interview, work in a corporation or in a managerial position. Not only will we make a good impression on those around us, but we will also increase our self-confidence.
Such "little things" as an outfit in subdued, non-provocative colors - the leader here is gray, which is considered the color of business and professionalism, which inspires the greatest trust - delicate makeup that highlights beauty, but does not distract the interlocutor's attention from the point, carefully shaved facial hair and well-groomed facial skin highlighted by the white of an ironed shirt and well-groomed hands will make us treated with respect, emphasize our professionalism and commitment, which will have a positive impact on the perception of us as trustworthy. Our way of speaking and the timbre of our voice are also very important. and the speed of spoken sentences. Let's speak decisively, specifically, slowly, but not phlegmatically. Let's ask specific questions and give specific answers. Before an important meeting, let's think about what we really want to convey and achieve, but let's not learn the sentences by heart. Naturalness is important during a conversation, so if, for example, we naturally speak a little faster or slower than others, we should not try to change it by force, but control the rhythm of speaking a little more during the conversation.
Let's think about it - we can achieve all this with little effort. The salesperson in the store will help us choose the right dress, suit or suit. When choosing color cosmetics in a drugstore, ask about appropriate makeup for formal occasions. Before the meeting, let's take some time to visit a beautician, hairdresser and manicurist, and if this is not possible, let's try to take care of these important details ourselves. Let's control our voice.
If the meeting we are going to is a job interview, it is also worth following the above rules, regardless of your profession. However, you should not overdo these efforts so that they are not perceived as "artificial" - caricatured - and you should be yourself during the conversation. If we don't wear suits every day because our profession doesn't require it, let's just dress more formally for the interview - taking care to follow the other rules. Jeans with a shirt, collared blouse and jacket or jacket will be enough. Let us remember that if we feel uncomfortable during a conversation, we will be perceived as unsure of ourselves, and our clothes and appearance are intended to emphasize this confidence, which should also be noticeable in our gestures and audible in the timbre of our voice. All these elements will have a positive impact on our image.
Let's dress and look appropriate for our workplace. A manicurist with broken nails who receives clients in a suit, or a dentist with cavities in her teeth and bad breath will certainly not inspire confidence as professionals. Similarly, a construction worker coming to the construction site in a suit and patent shoes or a businesswoman in torn jeans and a tank top leading a meeting will be simply ridiculous. Therefore, let us remember to approach everything in moderation and appropriately to the situation in which we find ourselves.
Slightly different rules apply during informal meetings, e.g. among friends and acquaintances. Here we can allow ourselves more freedom and dress the way we like. Remember, however, that our clothes and appearance are a way of showing respect to the other person, so it is worth taking care of them even during such meetings. You never know whether we will meet the most important person in our lives during such a meeting. Less formal attire or stronger makeup - if we prefer it, they will emphasize our personality and thus add self-confidence, which is a very attractive feature.
Let's also not forget that in both situations, a sincere and well-groomed smile will increase self-confidence and attractiveness, which have a positive impact on trust. When we look at another person's face, we first pay attention to the eyes and the smile. If it is not well cared for, it can effectively scare away our interlocutor, because it is often accompanied by bad breath and unsightly discoloration caused by coffee, tea, alcohol or cigarettes. However, let us remember that here everything depends on us. Specialists from professional dental centers argue that daily thorough brushing and flossing and using mouthwashes are the absolute minimum that we can and should take care of ourselves. However, it is worth supplementing these efforts with regular visits to centers that offer excellent care and professional help. Regular visits to the dentist's office, the use of treatments such as hygiene, teeth whitening, and in more difficult cases, dental treatment and the help of an orthodontist will allow us to enjoy a healthy and white smile every day, which is an invaluable treasure when establishing contact with people and can often charm us. A sincere, well-groomed smile wins people over, attracts attention, arouses trust and sympathy - it positively affects the assessment of us, increasing the level of our attractiveness - not only physically, but also as a professional.
And although in the 21st century it may be difficult for us to believe it, when the environment evaluates our person, there are still primary, subconscious instincts that have been rooted in us for centuries, which often cause us to pay less attention or not at all to the content and meaning of the statement. our interlocutor, and we mainly focus on his appearance. However, this is not a sign of disrespect, but a natural reaction of our body to the physical aspects of another person's appearance.
Let us remember, however, that if we are aware of this, we can largely influence how others perceive us. By applying the simple rules described above, we are able to achieve any intended goal. Wouldn't we want people who meet us to follow these rules? However, let us remember that we should always start with ourselves and treat others the way we would like to be treated, so let's be ourselves, let's show respect to people both through the words we say and through our appearance, and above all, let's smile sincerely, with a beautiful, well-groomed smile, and we will definitely deserve to be called a trustworthy person.