Judge not, lest ye be judged.
We all judge others. Some of us do it more so. And even if you think you haven’t, you have. It’s part of human nature. Of course, there are so many ways in which people judge – where you live, what you wear, how much money you have, what you do with that money, etc. And some judgments are more harmless than others. But did you know that someone could judge your character by your personality traits? Here are five examples.
1. What shoes you wear
According to a study publishes in the Journal of Research in Personality in 2012, shoes are a good source of first impressions. The study found that you can guess about 90 per cent of a person’s characteristics, such as their income, political affiliation, gender, and even age, just by looking at their shoes – especially by noticing the cost, style, color and condition of the shoe.
If this is the case, then different people would come up with different personality profiles for me, given the variety of shoes that I own.
2. Your handwriting
According to research conducted by the National Pen Company, how you write – i.e. the size and shape of your letters, spacing between words and more – can indicate over 5000 personality traits, even right down to detecting lies and revealing possible health concerns.
For example, the research found that those with small handwriting are likely to be shy, meticulous and studious, while people with larger handwriting are more outgoing, love attention and are outspoken.
Well, my handwriting is simply messy, and can change. Hmm … the beginnings of a theme here …
3. The colour towards which you gravitate
Yes, apparently you can tell a lot about someone based on the colours they like and wear. Supposedly, people whose favourite colour is black are often artistic and sensitive. Those who like white are believed to be organised and don’t have a great deal of clutter in their lives. Whereas people who gravitate to mostly red, live life to the fullest and are determined. Green lovers are meant to be affectionate, loyal and frank. (Read about more colours here).
I love earthy colours – greens, oranges, browns and yellows – so I suppose that means I’m down to earth?
4. How punctual you are
How early or late you show up for an engagement could make a negative or positive impression about your character. Being late for an important date may create a negative impression about who you are – such as being lazy or disorganized – whereas being early for an appointment can mean that people think you are considerate about other’s time, as well as are organised, in control and self-motivated.
I have the habit of running about five minutes late, but I’m really working hard to be punctual, if not five minutes early. More because it’s a courteous act, as I don’t like people having to wait for me. Okay, you got me. I just like the label of being organised and self-motivated.
5. Your handshake
Someone with a strong handshake is said to exude confidence and have a strong character. While anyone with a weak handshake is believed to be the polar opposite – i.e. lack confidence, are meek and always tend to want the easy way out of difficult situations. Do you agree?
From my experience I feel that a handshake can say a lot about a person, but it’s not necessarily a good indicator of how kind, compassionate and considerate someone is (which are important characteristics to me). So, to confuse things, I try to guess the person’s handshake and match theirs … I blame my multiple personality … don’t judge me.
Read more at Lifehack.
Are there other ways in which you find yourself judging a person’s character? Which ones do you feel give you a good guide about someone’s personality?
