There are people who believe that their first impressions of a person’s character or nature are accurate and truthful, and those people tend to believe their first impressions. Other people, including me, disagree with that point of view for a number of reasons. In this essay, I will discuss the reasons behind both viewpoints, supporting my belief that first impressions cannot always be trusted.
First impressions cannot always be trusted. Sometimes people have bad days in which they act out of character. They may be stressed out, angry, sad, or just extremely tired. All of these could make a person act differently than he would normally act. For example, a person who lost his job earlier that day might decide to go to a bar and drink away his sorrows. Normally, this person would not do something like that, but losing a job led him to act in this way. It is easy to see how people can act differently when they are sad. Being angry is another thing that could make someone act out of character. If a woman is extremely angry at something, she may act differently toward everyone around her. She might go to work, but not speak to any of her coworkers just because she needs time to calm down about whatever made her angry in the first place.
Sometimes a person wants to make a certain first impression for one reason or another. One time that a person might want to do this is for a job interview. I have actually done it myself. In an interview that I had for a job, I wanted to make the impression that I was outgoing. I knew that the company was going to want employees who were easy to get along with and outgoing. So, at the interview I spoke to everyone, smiled a lot, and spoke up when I was asked questions. Sure enough, I was hired. However, in real life I am shy and tend to withdraw from people. Obviously, it is easy for people to act differently than they really are.
Often, if a person is uncomfortable, he is going to act differently than normal in a situation such as a party. A shy person could very easily be uncomfortable if someone does not like social events and is dragged to a party where he does not know anyone, he is going to be uncomfortable. Usually, the person would be friendly and fun to be around, but at the party he might be unsociable and stand by himself. This does not mean that he is always like that. It just means that he did not know what to do at a party where he only knew one friend. Now say that the person starts to drink alcohol to calm down. He suddenly becomes extremely outgoing and tries to dance with everyone. Normally he would not act like that either, but the alcohol has influenced him. As I have shown, it is easy for a person to give a first impression that is misleading. People sometimes act out of character, whether on purpose or not.
Overall, it is not safe or fair to judge a person solely based on first impressions. There are many factors that could influence someone’s behavior, and it is not right to judge someone without getting to know that person better.