Judging a Book by its Cover: Why We Misjudge People

People are rarely what they seem on the surface, and misjudging them can cost you relationships and opportunities.

At one point or the other, we’ve all been guilty of making snap judgments about other people based on their appearances alone.

You’ve probably judged someone by relying too much on surface appearance, whether it’s assessing their trustworthiness by their facial expressions or deciding on competence by attire.

It’s human nature, but it can be misleading if you’re not careful.

I recently experienced an incident that humorously exposed this flaw. Six police officers from the city council stormed into our office for a routine license inspection.

Three of them were towering figures — tall, broad-shouldered men, the kind that could send shivers down your spine, while the other three were noticeably smaller, almost pint-sized in comparison.

Naturally, you would expect the burly figures to be the most intimidating and authoritative — after all, isn’t power and influence often measured by physical size?

However, as the inspection began, I was struck by an unexpected turn of events. It was the smaller officers who were the harshest, barking orders with an almost comical level of aggression. They seemed to take it upon themselves to assert control using their words and body language.