Alexander Todorov sheds light on the incredible speed at which humans form impressions of others based solely on facial appearance. According to their study, which was published in the July issue of the journal Psychological Science under the title "First Impressions" a number of years ago, it takes merely a tenth of a second for someone to form a judgment about a stranger based on their facial features. Remarkably, the study indicates that spending additional time observing the person does not substantially alter these initial impressions, although it may enhance one's confidence in the judgment made.

Willis and Todorov conducted separate experiments to study judgments from facial appearance, each focusing on a different trait: attractiveness, likeability, competence, trustworthiness, and aggressiveness. Participants were shown photographs of unfamiliar faces for 100 milliseconds (1/10 of a second), 500 milliseconds (half a second), or 1,000 milliseconds (a full second), and were immediately asked to judge the faces for the trait in question (e.g., “Is this person competent?”). Response time was measured. Participants were then asked to rate their confidence in making their judgments.

The research involved a series of carefully designed experiments aimed at understanding the rapidity and resilience of first impressions. Participants were shown images of strangers' faces for varying lengths of time and were asked to form opinions about them. The data collected revealed that these snap judgments made within a fraction of a second remained largely unchanged, even after extended periods of observation. This has significant implications for a variety of social interactions, from job interviews to first dates, emphasizing the outsized role that immediate perceptions play in human relationships.