Explore the science of snap judgments with The Tenth of a Second. Learn how Princeton research shows we judge trust and competence in just 100 milliseconds.

Research shows that people form an impression of your character, personality, and even intelligence in just a tenth of a second. By the time you’ve even opened your mouth to say 'hello,' the jury has already reached a verdict.
What People Decide About You in Seconds






According to research from Princeton psychologists Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov, it takes only a tenth of a second for people to form an impression of a stranger. In this 100-millisecond window, individuals make split-second decisions about your character, personality, and intelligence. This process happens almost instantly, often before you have even had the chance to speak or introduce yourself to the other person.
During a snap judgment, the brain performs a high-speed background check to determine several key traits. Beyond just deciding if someone is nice, people are subconsciously evaluating if you are trustworthy, competent, or even aggressive. This 'thin slicing' process allows the brain to categorize strangers quickly, influencing how your intelligence and personality are perceived in professional and social settings like job interviews or first dates.
The ability to make snap judgments is considered an ancient survival mechanism and a relic of human evolution. In the past, being able to instantly distinguish between a friend or a foe was a matter of life and death. Today, this 'ghost in the machine' continues to steer our social lives and careers by thin-slicing every person we meet to ensure we can navigate our environment safely and efficiently.
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