First impressions take 100 milliseconds.

The study

Psychologists at Princeton showed people faces for 100 milliseconds, 500 milliseconds or 1,000 milliseconds, and asked them to rate traits such as likeability, trustworthiness, competence, attractiveness and aggressiveness. Ratings made after only 100 ms were already highly correlated with ratings made with no time limit (Willis & Todorov, 2006). More time raised confidence in the judgment; it did not change the judgment much.

Why it matters

A meta-analytic review found that observers agree on who is attractive, and that attractiveness is linked to how people are treated in social settings (Langlois et al., 2000). Combine the two findings and the point is clear: the first look carries weight.

What you can control

1. Know your baseline. Scan your face and see your Overall Score and percentile.
2. Fix the high-impact basics: sleep, skin, sunscreen, grooming and posture.
3. Track weekly. Small gains compound.

Hexum maps 247 facial landmarks, scores 34 metrics, and builds a daily protocol around them. Hexum users average a +35% improvement in Overall Score from first scan to week 6.^* Download it free, and your first scan is free.

* Average change in Hexum Overall Score, first scan to week 6. Based on Hexum’s own user data; not a published study.

References

1. Willis J, Todorov A. (2006). First impressions: making up your mind after a 100-ms exposure to a face. Psychological Science, 17(7):592-598. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01750.x
2. Langlois JH, et al. (2000). Maxims or myths of beauty? A meta-analytic and theoretical review. Psychological Bulletin, 126(3):390-423. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.126.3.390