Studies have shown that there are eight specific behavioral traits that people can easily use to judge and make a conclusion about your personality. It is important to know these specific behaviors if you want to leave a good impression wherever you go. 

It is quite natural for the human brain to judge everyone or everything that crosses the mind. Judgment is a survival mechanism that makes it unavoidable to evaluate and judge the behavior of every person you meet.

Contrary to popular belief about judgment being a result of conversation content and other obvious traits, research shows that most of the judgments we make about a person’s character come from simple subtle things, for example, your body language or a handshake. It is quite natural to form an opinion about someone based on such small behavioral traits. In a study done at Kansas University, subjects could predict a person’s personality traits including emotional stability, extroversion or introversion, conscientiousness, and agreeableness simply by evaluating pictures of the shoes the people wore.

Your subconscious behaviors speak volumes about you. It is about time you realized what these behaviors convey to others about your character or personality.

Here are eight simple behavioral traits that most people use to evaluate and judge your personality:

1. Treatment of Support Staff

How do you talk to waiters, receptionists, and other support staff? Judging from the way you treat support staff at your workplace, people can develop an opinion of how you treat other people in general. It is common for individuals to act responsibly and in a courteous manner when interacting with their bosses and managers but as soon as they leave the workplace, they’ll begin to treat others with contempt or indifference. It does not matter how respectfully you treat the hiring manager if he or she later sees you treating others with disdain.

2. How Frequently You Peek at Your Phone

Pulling out your phone to check messages while you are in the middle of an important conversation is not only disrespectful but also shows a lack of attention and listening skills. According to a research done at Elon University, checking your phone mid-conversation reduces the value of any face-to-face interaction. So, unless it is a real emergency, don’t take out your phone when talking to someone.

3. Obvious Signs of Nervousness

A study done at the University of Michigan showed repetitive signs of nervousness such as picking at your skin or touching your face and clicking nails indicate that you have a perfectionist personality.

4. Talking About Yourself Too Much

People who talk a lot about themselves without taking an interest in others are considered to have a “talker” personality while those who ask questions without giving away too much personal information have a humble “giver” personality. Individuals with a balanced give-and-take personality make the best conversationalists.

5. Your Handshake

A weak handshake is always associated with a laid-back attitude or even a lack of confidence. As demonstrated in a study done at the University of Alabama, it is possible to tell one’s personality from their handshake. According to the study, a firm handshake is a sign of more extroverted and less shy individuals.

6. Inability to Keep Time

Many people believe lateness to be a sign of laziness, procrastination, and general lack of respect. However, a study conducted by Jeff Conte at San Diego State University showed that tardiness is a characteristic of people with Type B personality who also like to multitask. So, don’t always judge people who show up late as lazy individuals but find the reason why they are always late.

7. Handwriting and Personality

There are many incorrect stereotypes about the relationship between handwriting and personality such as the harder you press down the pen the more uptight you are or your writing slant shows if you are an introvert or extrovert. These claims have yet to be proven so meanwhile just stick to the keyboard to avoid handwriting judgments.

8. Whether You Maintain Eye Contact

Full eye contact is generally perceived to be a sign of aggressiveness or even creepiness while the lack of eye contact is taken to be a sign of shyness, embarrassment, or lack of interest in a conversation. The best option is to maintain eye contact for about 60% of the conversation to show interest and trustworthiness.

Conclusion

Some of the above mentioned behavioral traits may seem insignificant but they do make a big difference in how people evaluate you. Knowing what gives away your true self and taking control of these subtle traits could save your career.