"I don't know you but I hate you"

How are we establishing our first impressions? 

Judging a book by it's cover? (Does anyone read actual books anymore?)

Maybe judging an 'Insta', 'TikTok' or 'LinkedIn' post by it's cover photo?

How many times have you drawn immediate conclusions about someone? 

I know!!

Every... single... time.

When we meet someone - we immediately have a thought. We can't help it. The thought just pops up. It appears without any conscious effort.

This applies to art in all forms as well. Music, painting (eh hem), movies, shows, and so on.

This is a fact. A study shared by the Journal of Neuroscience showed that the brain immediately determines how trustworthy a face is before it's even fully perceived. Fast judgement? You bet. Our amygdalas get activated based on an instant determination of trustworthiness or non trustworthiness. 

This is your brain... this is your brain on 'first sight'.

Is it possible to have a fair, balanced and reliable first impression?

(How do you make sure you that you don't develop a 'judgment' that skews heavily one way or another?)

Based on science you can't change the immediate reaction BUT you can be aware of it and remind yourself "I don't know this person". When you are fully present in that way of thinking you can take a more thorough inventory of your interactions with this person without the cloud of biased judgment hanging over you. Be conscious of not allowing your thoughts to start pulling you One Way or Another (great Blondie song) and let those thoughts go. (just Let it Go)

Take the time to acknowledge and accept that you don't know the inner workings of others and while you can draw conclusions based on a first impression, you don't have enough information to truly evaluate their reliability as a source until you've gathered a decent volume of experience with them. Essentially, you have to do your research.

All of this to say (type), that regardless of what someone is posting online they might be a different person 'in the flesh.'  Either way... cut people and art some slack.