Neurologists Orangeville ON

The First Three Seconds

When your brain notices anything new – including a person – in the environment, it is programmed to decide quickly whether or not it’s a threat. It takes only 1/24th of a second to create this first impression at the unconscious level. At 3 seconds, that first impression is established and unlikely to undergo further significant change. If the first impression someone has of you is perceived as a threat, any possibility of establishing rapport is lost. The threat does not have to be real, it only requires a “perception” of a threat – and when in doubt, your brain tends to perceive a threat.

The Gatekeeper

Bruno Catellani of the Institute of Communication, Management and Sales in Switzerland refers to this primitive brain function as the “Gatekeeper”. If your initial interaction with someone stresses that person’s Gatekeeper, it will switch on the “fight or flight” response that includes shutting down message receptors and terminating any meaningful rapport with that person.

This neurological mechanism was necessary during our evolutionary development – in order to survive as a species, when our cave-dwelling ancestors saw a saber-toothed tiger they needed to react with lightening speed. Although for the most part we have outgrown the need for such a rapid response to perceived threats, it is still a response that is hardwired in our brains and is the main obstacle to building rapport with others.

Author: Jonathan Jordan

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