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Eric Barker: Why Everything We Know About Relationships is Mostly Wrong
In this episode of the Unmistakable Creative,/ Eric Barker dives deep into the science of success, relationships, and first impressions explored in his book “Plays Well with Others.” By examining the cognitive biases and heuristics that govern our interactions, Eric offers valuable insights on how we can make better impressions and develop better relationships.
First Impressions
First impressions are really interesting, because that is something that we’re wired to do. We’re generally more accurate than we are wrong. However, whatever impression we get sticks. We need to think about what kind of impression we want to make.Making a bad first impression really can last and it’s difficult to change because of confirmation bias. In terms of just getting a read on someone holistically, a stranger, first impressions can be surprisingly accurate.
Generally, we’re able to make a fairly accurate assessment of someone’s character or personality within the first few moments of meeting them. Studies have shown that, on average, we’re roughly 70% accurate when it comes to these initial judgments. This accuracy is likely due to the fact that we’re able to pick up on subtle cues and body language that can reveal a lot about a person’s disposition.
