A new study proves, once again, that first impressions are deceptive and that it is better to “sleep on it” before making a decision.
It is often said that first impressions are the best. While researchers at Duke University are not advocating on the judgment of a person’s character, they do assure that when it comes to making decisions that have long-term implications, it is best to wait until the next day to decide.
They came to this conclusion after holding an imaginary garage sale where participants had to estimate the value of the items on sale. The experiment was detailed in a paper published September 9 in the journal Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
“Slept on it” allows you to make more rational choices
In this online experiment, volunteers had to “rummage” through virtual boxes containing 20 different items to determine their value. Some were common, such as an old alarm clock and a flower pot, while others had a higher value, such as a lamp or a teddy bear. They were then asked to choose the most interesting box. What they didn’t know was that the total value of the boxes was the same. The difference was in the order of the items sold. In some boxes, all the valuable items were on top. Thus, the volunteers saw them first when unpacking them. In others, the most expensive items were grouped in the middle or at the bottom or completely mixed up. When it came time to estimate and choose the box, some of the volunteers had to give their answer immediately, while the others could decide the next day after “sleeping on it”.
The result: Those who made a decision immediately tended to remember and judge the boxes not based on their entire contents, but rather on the first items they saw. “We found that people are strongly influenced by first impressions”confirms lead author Dr Allie Sinclair.
People who had the night to decide did not show a strong preference for boxes that made a good first impression. “made more rational choices, favoring equally boxes containing groups of valuable objects at the beginning, middle or end”adds the expert.
Decision making: beware of primacy bias
Another finding of the study: in addition to gravitating toward boxes where the treasures were most visible, people who made an immediate choice also tended to overestimate their value. On average, they judged them to be worth 10% more than the actual price.
“This is an example of a psychological phenomenon called ‘primacy bias’adds the researcher. “When it comes to forming an overall opinion about something, it turns out that we are unduly influenced by the first piece of information we encounter, even when new facts emerge.”specifies the Duke University press release.
“Judging by first impressions can be a good thing for making choices in the moment. Say you’re watching the opening scene of a movie or skimming the first few pages of a book. Making quick judgments based on those first impressions can help us decide when it’s best to move on before investing too much time and effort. But when it comes to situations with longer-term stakes—like returning to a restaurant, hiring someone, or dating someone—there’s wisdom in “sleeping on it” before making a decision.”concludes Dr Alison Adcock who also worked on this research.
