Bad Vibes

Can you tell whether someone is trustworthy from the moment you meet them? We often feel that we can spot a wrong ’un almost instantly, but how reliable are those gut instincts — and what does the evidence say about our ability to judge other people’s character? In this episode, Fraser, Nick and Peter explore the psychology of bad vibes, starting with a classic exchange from Lord of the Rings between Frodo and Strider about seeming fairer and feeling fouler. From there, the conversation examines what research tells us about first impressions, lie detection, facial features and the traits associated with dishonesty. The discussion also explores why we may be more likely to trust people who seem happy, competent or charming, why entitlement and greed may be more revealing indicators of dishonesty, and how our own confidence in judging character can mislead us. Links: The hobbits discuss Strider's intentions. First impressions happen very quickly. We are not very good at detecting lies. A small number of people are responsible for the majority of lies. We are only modestly good at detecting trustworthiness in faces. HEXACO including the honesty-humility dimension. The overall evidence for accuracy in trustworthiness detection is 'mixed'. First impressions: making up your mind after a 100-ms exposure to a face This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp