5 psychological tips for reading people more accurately

Flickr/Reuben Gray

Which of these common errors do you make when sizing up other people?

Identifying your mistakes will help you read people more accurately. 

1. What causes others' behavior? Situations or personality?

When we see a snapshot of someone's behavior, we often jump to the conclusion that they're acting based on their personality. In contrast, when we think about our own behavior, we often think about situational causes.

For example, you know you act aloof when you're flustered or anxious. However, you might assume that when someone you've just met acts that way it's because they're a jerk. 

How to avoid this mistake: Remind yourself to think about both situational causes and personality when you're assessing other people. 

2. Confirmation bias

Once we've developed ideas about someone, we typically see everything through the filter of these already formed thoughts. For example, once you decide your sister's new boyfriend is selfish, you notice behaviors that are consistent with that view, but are less likely to notice things he does that aren't consistent with being selfish. 

Our initial impressions of someone are often quite accurate, but they're not foolproof, so it's important to consider revising your initial judgments based on further interactions with that person.

How to avoid this mistake: Actively watch for evidence and examples that run counter to your assumptions. In psychology, this is termed "disconfirming evidence."

3. Are you falling into an attractiveness or similarity bias?

People tend to judge others more positively when they're physically attractive. We also tend to judge people who are similar to us more favorably than people who seem different. 

Ask yourself if you're judging someone more or less positively based on their physical attractiveness, or the extent to which you have things in common with that person (such as a shared background or subcultural appearance cues, like having a beard or tattoos vs. appearing straight-laced and non-hipsterish).

How to avoid this mistake: Look out for this bias in important situations. For example, if you're hiring someone for a job, or when you're entering a new situation and might gravitate toward people who are outwardly similar to you.