June 10 - First Impressions

First impressions of others are often influenced by what we see. Subconsciously our brains take into account every visual aspect. Even without thinking, we notice things like skin colour, height, weight, attire, facial expression.  Probably most of us are totally unaware of this little prejudice.

I have just finished listening to Blink, The power of Thinking without Thinking, an audio book by Malcolm Gladwell. In one section he describes the measured reactions to facial expressions. In particular, Gladwell explores how certain movements and emotions can be anticipated as we observe the movement of particular facial muscles.

I suppose that I found this section especially interesting because I can’t see faces even at close range, I can’t observe those changing facial expressions. I wonder if this puts me at an advantage or a disadvantage. I am freed from the prejudice of judging others by their physical appearance. The way I see it, (no pun intended!) that is an advantage. However, the inability to read facial expressions can also put us at a disadvantage when it comes to reading the mood of a conversation or discussion. Certainly for those of us who can’t see, we need to be more sensitive to voice tones as we try to read social situations more accurately.

All this has just been my thoughts of the week. Interesting to mull over but not something to dwell on ad infinatum.