# what is the first thing you notice about someone? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 24, 2002, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673 "2002-12-24T03:48:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![c\_goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@c\_goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_goat)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673/21 "2002-12-24T14:57:12Z")
I can’t look people in the eyes, so I never notice them. I guess I tend to look at how people are dressed, and their overall physical build. ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673/22 "2002-12-24T15:18:29Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Kn_ckers \* > \*\*Same here! I’d notice bad teeth long before it struck me that a person had, say, three eyes. > I also notice unusually good teeth. I’m an equal opportunity tooth-noticer. \*\* My dentist told me I was one of the few fortunate people with near-perfect teeth. Why aren’t the women all over me? 😃 It’s hard to say what I notice first on people, as I am completely oblivious to my surroundings most of the time. I guess if I had to pick it would be hair, but that’s just incidental, because you normally look at a person’s head before the rest of them. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673/23 "2002-12-24T15:43:03Z")
Appearance of health. I’m not such a slave to 20th-century advertising/movies/whatever to only be attracted to particular body parts or assemblages thereof, but if somebody’s overweight, or looks to be in pain, or is generally uncomfortable with themselves physically, that’s something that makes me keep my distance. If the person is reasonably fit and seems happy with their physical selves, that’s something I like to see. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673/24 "2002-12-24T15:51:39Z")
To paraphrase from the movie “Desk Set,” whether that person is male or female. ---
**Author:** ![Lodrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@Lodrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lodrain)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673/25 "2002-12-24T21:19:59Z")
Posture and movement. If someone shuffles their feet or slumps, it doesn’t tend to draw my eye as much as someone who gracefully slides when they walk and holds themselves in a way that signifies that they’re aware of themselves and are comfortable in their own skin. If they hold themselves too stiffly, too tensely or their too high, I see them as overdoing it and putting on a show. Relax; you’ll live longer. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Blunty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Captain\_Blunty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Blunty)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673/26 "2002-12-24T22:16:40Z")
A lovely wide smile gets me everytime, male or female. It’s the first thing I notice. If I see a guy or girl smiling widely and laughing with all their freinds, I have this urge to walk over and find out what’s so funny. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673/27 "2002-12-24T23:09:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by superbee \* > **Chicks - tits** I can’t believe it took 18 posts for this response to be posted. Maybe guys are less superficial than people think? Or maybe they’re accomplished liars, I dunno. 😃 Anyway … facial expression tends to catch my attention. Genuine smiles give a positive first impression, whereas someone who looks like he/she just ate a bit of rotten meat gives a negative one. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673/28 "2002-12-25T01:26:20Z")
Eyes, hair, clothes–in that order. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673/29 "2002-12-25T02:00:26Z")
Whether or not they’re invisible. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673/30 "2002-12-25T04:26:59Z")
The very first thing? Their height. I know plenty of tall people who are perfectly nice, but it doesn’t stop me from being oh-so-slightly intimiated by people who tower over me for a moment when I see them for the first time. After that, or if they’re not “tall” (tall to me is over 5’10". Hey, I’m only 5’3"!) it’s hair and eyes 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horrifying_Howler_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673/31 "2002-12-25T20:14:22Z")
Another vote for teeth…and I have no idea why. I see hundreds of people a day at work, and I always notice their teeth. I remember last week this one lady came through the line, we talked a little bit and she left. As soon as she was gone my boss looks at me and said “why didn’t see pull the hairs out of that?” Turned out she had a mole on the side of her nose, with three looooobg curly black hairs coming out of it. I didn’t see it at all. My response was “she had nice straight teeth though.” ---
**Author:** ![Justhink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/edb3f5/32.png) [@Justhink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justhink)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673/32 "2002-12-25T22:49:45Z")
I’m usually thinking; looking downish so as to avoid a break in concentration… so probably lower legs/footwear? I never remember these things though. That being the case, noise of human origin will generally grab my attention. I usually make this allocation when I hear laughter or gossip because it strikes me as generally curious that such brutality recieves adoration so pervasively and publicly. I’ll spend a moment trying to get a lock on the persons personality structure to see if they are running any variations of these behaviors which I haven’t collected yet for analysis. I will somewhat appreciate individuals who rank low on the contradiction frequency. Primarily, it is noise pollution which snaps me out of my zone when I enter a public area. Blasts and crashes don’t register any purpose of change to me - I only sem to allocate my attention to specific speech patterns. -Justhink ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673/33 "2002-12-25T23:36:17Z")
It depends on how Im feeling, what I notice first. But I usually notice a wholeness first. This is sort of a fuzzy- general-whole-body-plus clothes profile. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673/34 "2002-12-25T23:38:34Z")
Eyes, lips, and voice… generally in that order. ---
**Author:** ![jacksen9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@jacksen9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacksen9)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673/35 "2002-12-25T23:54:09Z")
Laugh. What are they amused by… what cracks them up? Sense of humor is something that I find appealing. I try to avoid folks that take themselves too seriously. Approachability… open / inviting / good manners ---
**Author:** ![Eternal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@Eternal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eternal)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673/36 "2002-12-26T04:01:40Z")
Hip-to-waist ratio and general body symmetry. ---
**Author:** ![TVGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@TVGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673/37 "2002-12-26T05:17:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FairyChatMom \* > \*\*Physically, I take note of general hygiene and cleanliness - a slobby first impression is difficult to overcome. \*\* Funny you should mention this - One of my longest lasting relationships started after he first met me just as I was coming off a 36 hour work day and was filthy, sweaty, greasy, tired and smelly. Frankly, I thought he was majorly cute, but after that “first impression” thing, I was certain I’d never see him again. I was wrong - and it lasted almost seven years! ---
**Author:** ![Raini](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@Raini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raini)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673/38 "2002-12-26T05:22:28Z")
i’m an eyes, teeth and ass girl! ---
**Author:** ![Raini](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@Raini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raini)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673/39 "2002-12-26T05:22:28Z")
i’m an eyes, teeth and ass girl! ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673/40 "2002-12-26T21:23:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TVGuy \* > **Funny you should mention this - One of my longest lasting relationships started after he first met me just as I was coming off a 36 hour work day and was filthy, sweaty, greasy, tired and smelly.** Perhaps I should have qualified my statement. I was thinking in terms of dirty, filthy, nasty lack of hygiene, not grubby and sweaty from hard work. There is a difference. Actually, there’s something attractive about someone who’s been working up a sweat by working - I like to think I’m just adorable when I’m all grubby from an afternoon of gardening. However, if I encountered someone who obviously preferred to lounge on the couch in the same clothes for weeks on end, unbathed, unshampooed, and untoothbrushed, well, _that’s_ the slobbiness I would find distasteful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-thing-you-notice-about-someone/144673.md?page=3)