First ImpressionsFirst impressions are the initial perceptions made about other people. Forming first impressions is a natural process that all people undertake. These initial evaluative perceptions attempt to answer the question “what kind of person is this?” (Ybarra, 2011.) There is a common understanding of how important it is to make a good first impression. These initial perceptions help people in social interaction. From judging the boy your daughter brings home to dinner to who gets your vote for president, first impressions play a big role. Social norms are used to help form these initial perceptions. If a person's behavior is consistent with current social norms, the more likely they are to be perceived favorably. The initial impression will most likely be made on an individual's appearance. Since first impressions are made in a fraction of a second, a person's clothing has been shown to convey qualities such as character, sociability, competence, and intelligence (Damhorst, 1990). In 2014 it is not normal to see someone walking down the street dressed as a medieval knight. Unless there is a Renaissance fair nearby, the person might be perceived as a strange person. First impressions are not conscious decisions made by the person forming the perception; it's just something that happens. The parts of the brain used to make first impressions are the amygdala and the posterior cingulate cortex. The first is the area of ​​the brain that processes sensory information and helps distinguish between harmful and non-harmful stimuli. The latter is the same area of ​​the brain used to assign value to objects (Starr 2013). Two of the main questions when meeting a person for the first time are: "this is... half of a sheet of paper... it could cause them to waste time and avoid returning to work." Herein lies the importance of making a good first impression. Works Cited Ybarra, Oscar. (2001). When first impressions don't last: The role of isolation and adaptation processes in the revision of evaluative impressions. Social cognition, (19.5) 491-520. Damhorst, M. L. (1990). In search of a common thread: the classification of information communicated by clothing. Journal of Apparel and Textile Research, 8(2), 1-12.Lass-Hennemann J., Kuehl LK, Schulz A., Oitzl MS, Schachinger H. (2011). Stress strengthens the memory of first impressions of the positive personality traits of others. PLS ONE 6(1): e16389. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0016389Starr, K. (2013). The science of first impressions. The Science of Luck, excerpted from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-science-luck/201302/the-science-first-impressions