Judging a Book by Its Cover
And First Impression? It Sticks Like a Glue
Edited on: Jun, 25th 2018
Disclaimer: I’m copying a quote or two here and there from the The Smarter Screen book, written by Shlomo Benartzi with Jonah Lehrer.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover”
they said. But is it even relevant anymore? Nowadays, we live in a digital era. We could grasp millions of information easily everyday. The problem is that a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention, forcing us to make difficult choices about what to perceive and think about.
And, as smart as we think we are, in the end, we are a creature driven by instinct, or maybe to be more exact, a creature that is heavily dependent on visuals. For example, look at these pictures of mushroom.
Which one do you think is poisonous? Well, if you’re quite normal, you would choose the red mushroom. Its red color is giving away its identity. It’s like the mushroom talking to you, “Uh, hello, I’m poisonous.”
We are wired that way, to be visual. We are born that way, it’s a gift from nature. Heck, even a baby could tell that someone is beautiful, a research study said so.
Here’s another fact, we already form an opinion about something as fast as 50 milliseconds, which is 0.05 seconds.
If you don’t believe it, I’ll give you a link to a website later. Read this instruction first!!
1. On the website, you’ll see 3 images with brief pauses in between.
2. During the pauses, you’ll be able to rate the image on a scale of 1 to 9 based on its visual appeal.
3. Although you might not be able to make out what you see on the first and second images, you still have to rate it.When you’re ready, click “Visual Appeal: Exercise Number 1” on the web.
How’s the exercise? Interesting isn’t it? Are you like most people? If you are, then your ratings for the website’s visual appeal should remained constant (or only with slight differences).
And here comes the question. Is it really okay to judge book by its cover?
To Judge or Not to Judge
We typically assume that our aesthetic judgements are based on our conscious assessments, that we have to really see something before we can form an opinion about it.
But, according to the experiment above, we actually already formed an opinion about something as fast as 50 milliseconds.
We know what we like before we even know what we’re looking at.
That’s what the subtitle means, first impressions really does stick like a glue.
Now, I guess, we’re all on the same page. We are all, somehow wired to be judgemental. Once again, we form an opinion as fast as 50 milliseconds. There, there, I know that for some people it’s a hard to swallow that you’re judgemental :p
To give you a peace of mind, let’s talk about the justification of being judgemental.
Well, if in the ancient time we use this innate gift to be able to survive, now we are justified to use it to be able to make faster and maybe, better decision. At least, nowadays because we have a very limited time, and also, a scarcity of attention stock, we are allowed to, IMHO.
Let’s start to think about it from this question.
What are covers for?
Well, personally, I think cover are used to somehow encapsulate the book’s content. To summarize the book itself, so people know what they will interact with. Or to make people curious and interact with it. That’s what I think.
And also, in a cover, you could find any other information that you could use. You know who wrote the book, you know what the book is called, and there’s often even plot synopsis on the back. Some books would go as far as putting the ratings or how well the selling was on the cover. You might as well find what other people think about it. Not to mention other designs element such as the size of the book, the color, the font, etc., etc.
Are we supposed to neglect all of these information given to us? I don’t think so. Sorry to say, but, I think we are stupid if we don’t judge a book by its cover. Covers aren’t things that fell from the sky, it’s not by accident. Covers are the result of deliberate choices. It’s okay to judge them, it’s not our fault if we choose a book because it has a better cover.
In fact, if some books have the same “content” with different covers, wouldn’t the act of not judging the book by its cover means that we aren’t appreciating the designer?
^ The contents could go by any variable or quality that you choose.
First Impression, Once Again
To make it more understandable, let’s switch book with people. No first impression can give the full picture of who a person is. It’s just we happen to meet or see them on that particular day. However, when you only meet someone once, then it is inevitable that you will form an opinion of them.
Our brains, they always find a way to bridge the gap, the nonexistence by using what they knew already. And the informations that we have are limited to what we see, which is the cover, or in this case, how they dress. Or as a bonus, if you get to know them “long” enough, how they act and how they present themselves.
While everyone should be treated equally regardless of fashion, in many situations how you are dressed matters.
In a business environment, a guy in a formal suit seems to be more trustworthy than a guy in a casual t-shirt and a jean. And it’s especially true at job interview. You choose how to dress and present yourself, and it’s really all the interviewers have to go one that day.
But, But…
Although yes, true beauty is found on the inside, but it’s not quite enough for business, and sadly, sometimes for our personal lives.
If your “deliberate” cover is not interesting enough to attract people, then, yeah. No one’s going to bother to interact with you.
So, although it may be/seem unfair, try your best to dress up and present yourself at its best.
So, When Are We Not Supposed to Judge a Book by Its Cover?
It’s not about is it okay to judge anymore. We’re past that and it’s okay to judge to make faster and maybe, better decision. And maybe we’re also appreciating “the designer” while we’re judging.
Now, the question is, when should we not judge a book by its cover?
In business environment, impressions are everything. You should strive for positive reviews from your (future) users. Of course your business want to profit, and from where profit comes for? Of course from your (future) users. You want people to actually use your products/services. And how to get them use it? You should work on your products’ visual or reviews to attract people.
Personally, maybe the answer is when you’re in your personal life or when you’re trying to make friends. Social events might also go well with this decision.
The thing is, although we meet almost the same people everyday, there are chances that we don’t see them for who they are. We see them from how they appear in our minds than who they truly are.
They might appear the same, but them you see today might be struggling with a battle. Everyone has a past, or a story. If you don’t know about it, you might be not the person they are looking for.
If you wanna know about it, then, be kind to everyone :)
They might open up and you will know them better for who they are, not from how they appear in your mind.
As a final note. I myself, didn’t want to be labeled as a judgemental person. But, in the end, after learning the truth about how judgemental we are, I know that I just have to accept it. We are judging everything everyday, using our (first) impressions that we have.
Maybe it’ll help you if you think about it from this setting.
- Try to look at yourselves in the mirror right after you wake up from a good night sleep. Make a mental note of how you look.
- Then, take a bath, and dress yourself for the day.
- Take a look at yourselves in the mirror, and again, make a mental note of how you look.
- Compare the images of yourself. Which one do you like better?
If you like the image of yourself from step 3 > step 1, then you have to accept the fact that you are a visual person. You appreciate good looking things, and chances are, you are a judgemental person :p
Don’t blame those help wanted job that has the requirement “Attractive/good looking people” anymore. It’s good for the business.
Until then, zài jiàn :)
