As the old adage says, “You only get one chance to make a first impression” – and understanding how people form those impressions matters when it comes to social decisions, says Dr. Miranda Giacomin.

“Who you befriend, date and marry can have drastic consequences for your well-being and life outcomes,” says the associate professor in the Department of Psychology. “Smart social decisions begin with first impressions.”

So do smart business decisions – and political ones. First impressions can play a significant role in determining who gets hired and promoted, and who should lead and who should follow, says Dr. Giacomin. 

The problem with first impressions? They’re not always accurate. 

Dr. Giacomin told MacEwan’s Research Recast(ed) podcast about her research that focuses on people’s narcissistic tendencies – how grandiose, self-focused, and vain an individual is – and how that connects to our first thoughts about them.

“Narcissism is a really interesting personality trait, because individuals who are high in narcissism are often really well-liked when you first meet them – they’re charming, charismatic and fun to be around,” said Dr. Giacomin. “But in cases of grandiose narcissism, later on, it can become a more maladaptive trait where they not only view themselves in an overly positive way, but they also care less about others’ feelings, and what’s going on around them.”

That dichotomy in the trait, she says, can have detrimental effects on people’s lives. So she’s looking at how people detect narcissism and how changing situations affect narcissistic tendencies. 

In one study, Dr. Giacomin asked participants to look at photographs of strangers and assess how narcissistic and high in self-esteem they appeared to be.

“We found that people can accurately detect narcissism from very minimal information,” she said. “Knowing that someone is narcissistic could give us information that they might not make a great relationship partner, or that they're not going to be a good friend down the road.”

The catch? We don’t seem to use that information when forming first impressions.

“We found that people conflate narcissism with self-esteem, and we really like people who are high in self-esteem – it’s a very socially valued trait,” she says. “If someone's perceived to be high in self-esteem, we perceive them to be more attractive and competent and to possess a host of good qualities.”

That, she adds, means that we can end up liking a narcissist more than we should. 

“Making good social decisions is important,” she says. “We don’t have the full answers yet about how we form first impressions, but it’s important to keep trying to understand what we should be looking for, which qualities we can about and which ones we don’t.” 

Learn more about Dr. Giacomin’s other research, including how people higher in narcissism tend to have more distinct eyebrows, and how our mental images of what leaders look like mix with gender stereotypes, in Dr. Giacomin’s interview with Research Recast(ed) host Kelsie Johnston.