The You Others See

* One study reveals that, on first impressions, women with a big bust (i.e. 37 inches or more) are considered to be less intelligent and modest and more immoral and lazy than a flat-chested or small-busted woman. The same study states that women with small busts (i.e. 34 inches or under), give a first impression of being clever, competent, ambitious, modest and moral!

* Tall women are often considered by others to be more elegant, intelligent, interesting and serene than short women.

ALL DRESSED UP

Clothes and the way we dress are relatively superficial – something that shouldn’t make that much impact on others’ attitudes towards us. Or are they? It seems research proves otherwise.

* If you wear clothes commonly regarded as conservative, others are more likely to view you as politically Conservative too.

* Other people are more likely to trust you if your clothes are neat and clean as opposed to scruffy and dirty.

* A study on women’s clothes at Murdoch University reveals that if you wear a short skirt, others see you as youthful and outgoing; a long skirt causes others to see you as sophisticated; and a narrow skirt equals arrogance and/or unfriendliness in other people’s eyes.

SAY WHAT?

The way you talk and what you talk about affects other people’s opinions of you too…

* A study on “The Effects Of Pitch And Speech Rate On Personal Attributions” carried out by W. Apple in 1979 says that fast-talkers are often considered to be more credible than people who speak slowly. They also discovered that, generally, people prefer listening to fast-talkers than slow-talkers.

* A different study reveals that if you talk loudly, others will regard you as aggressive, assertive and perhaps not too good to work with. But other research reckons that people with loud (but not too loud – around the 75 decibel mark) voices are more likely to be listened to and taken seriously than people who are very softly-spoken.

* A British study discovered that if you speak in short sentences, your audience will get the impression that you’re a lively, informal and friendly person. If you speak in long, drawn-out sentences, you may be perceived as a tad boring and that you don’t much like the people/person you’re talking to.

* When asking for something, if you are demanding or forget your manners, you will be perceived as rude, aggressive or domineering.

* If you talk about intimate matters with someone you’ve just met, they may well see you as maladjusted and/or lonely.

THE NAME GAME

Many studies show how your name affects others’ perception of you. It’s difficult to go into the effects of specific names, but generally…

* Studies in the US and New Zealand discovered that if you like your name, your self-esteem is judged to be higher than a person who doesn’t like their name.

* One survey reveals that if you have an unusual or unique Christian name, others are less likely to think you’re professional.

* If people are always forgetting your name, it’s probably nothing personal. A study by American psychologist Sandra Brant states that names are generally forgotten when they’re introduced too early in the conversation.