We are often advised not to judge others by external appearances. It’s inner beauty that is important, or so they say.

However, the resent study confirms that we shouldn’t underestimate the importance of first impressions. Surprisingly, people do judge others by their looks and keep this initial evaluation even after having met the person in real life.

Your dating site photo determines how potential matches see you: First impressions last

Sure, we knew it for ages: First impressions last. But why and how it happens? Keep reading to find out details of the ground-breaking research.

For now, just what it means for you. If the first impressions indeed decide the outcome of your match-seeking venture, what shoould you do?

• When registering on a dating site, make sure you take care of the profile picture.

It’s very easy to make a good photo.

Whether you like it or not, Russian and Ukrainian girls pay strong attention to low you look on your picture: Happy, relaxed, neatly dressed—or vice versa, unhappy, tense, and sloppy? The initial evaluation will stick in her mind.

Tips to remember:

• The most important thing is the clothes you wear. The clothes cover the largest part of your body. It’s the first thing that matters when you are presenting yourself to women. Remember, they seek a serious partner for a long-term relationship. Dress neatly: An ironed shirt, jacket. Say no to worn out T-shirts and choose a light-coloured shirt or polo. It’s better to combine it with trousers.
• Get a hair cut. Shave or trim facial hair.
• In regards to the picture, it should be well-lit.
• Make it outdoors for best results. Outdoor images seem more attractive.
• Don’t forget to smile. Russian and Ukrainian girls have enough of gloomy local guys around them. Your friendly smile will be noticed!

Does your photograph on the site produce the right impression about your personality? It influences your chances to meet a beautiful woman. On the photo: Irina and James, a recent happy couple who met on Elenasmodels.com.

The research

Scientists from Cornell university in NY, USA, undertook a research to check the impact of first impressions.

Professor of psychology Vivian Zayas together with her colleagues organized a practical experiment.

They invited 55 people and showed them photos of 4 women with different facial expressions, Science Daily reports.

Participants were supposed to decide:

• whether they can be friends with a woman;
• whether they like her or not;
• describe her personal qualities (extroverted, emotionally stable, open, friendly).

After some time (from 1 to 6 months), participants “accidentally” got acquainted with the lady in the photo. They didn’t remember that they have seen her photo before.

Together with their subject, people played a quiz and then were told to to converse for 10 minutes.

After each interaction, the participants were asked to describe the woman once again.

As a result, scientists found a steady consistency between how participants evaluated the female during the first experiment and after seeing her in person.

If people initially (from the photo) thought a person to be nice and friendly, after the meeting they kept this impression. The same held true about negative impressions. People could not delete them from their subconscious mind. The participants preferred to adhere to their first negative opinion. By the way, the same person might have been judged differently by various subjects: Positively or negatively.

Scientists confirmed: First impressions last. Even after you have met in real life! What does your image on the site tell about you?

Why do we stick with our first impressions?

The researchers named 2 main reasons why people tend to stick to their first judgment about others.

For one thing, people maintain consistency in their judgments. It is called behavioral confirmation. Subconsciously, people try to prove the correctness of their prediction. And this is what the participants did. They were very nice with the woman when they met her. People were smiling and behaved nicely. Certainly, the lady tried to be polite and friendly in return.

Secondly, the halo effect played its part. When we see an attractive person, we rate him more favorably. People start to think that he has a good family and pretty kids. It worked perfectly during the experiment. The woman that participants liked the most was perceived as more open and sociable.

Interestingly, in the beginning of the experiment, people stated that they were willing to reconsider their judgment, if they met the female personally. But in fact, they did their best to confirm the initial judgment of the person.

The same thing happens to you when you communicate with ladies on the dating site with Russian, Ukrainian women. A nice photo gets you the girl!

Read also:

• Want To Date Beautiful Girls? Get a Beautiful Photo
• Why some people are excluded by groups while others accepted?
• Sugar Daddy vs. Dirty Old Man
• 10 tips for a successful dating profile photo