Alexander Todorov, psychologist at Princeton University is known for his research on social cognition and the psychology of first impressions. He has conducted studies that suggest people make snap judgments about trustworthiness in a very short amount of time, often within a tenth of a second, or even less. These rapid judgments are based on facial cues, body language, and other nonverbal signals. Todorov's research has shown that once we make these initial snap judgments, we tend to stick with them and use subsequent information to confirm or support our initial impressions, rather than revising them. I think this phenomenon is related to the concept of confirmation bias, where individuals tend to seek out and interpret information in a way that confirms their pre-existing beliefs or judgments. Remember that these quick judgments are not always accurate, and people can make mistakes in assessing trustworthiness based on minimal information. Todorov's work highlights the importance of being aware of these cognitive biases and being open to revising our judgments when presented with new and more reliable information.
