The Association of Culture and Personality with First Impressions

People form inferences about others appearances to make social decisions, known as first impressions. The relationship between first impressions, culture, and personality has been extensively studied in social psychology. This includes research on specific cultural groups like Chinese and British perceivers, personality disorders such as autism, and personality traits like agreeableness, but there is no comprehensive review of current research developments. Therefore, this paper aims to review recent studies exploring these relationships both separately and systematically. Regarding cultural influence, studies generally acknowledge culture's role in shaping first impressions, but the samples are not sufficiently diverse. Concerning personality, research has mainly focused on personality disorders and specific traits rather than examining the full spectrum of personality traits and facial or body features. This paper also highlights some limitations of previous studies, including issues related to the generalizability of findings and reliance on categorical data, among others. It also suggests future directions, such as prioritizing solutions for individuals with personality disorders and investigating the role of social media to deepen understanding of these relationships.