While working on the second book in the West Farms series, which features Lucy's protective older brother Adam, the topic of first impressions came up and it got me thinking…

We've all heard that first impressions are important. But did you know that first impressions are formed within five to fifteen seconds?!? What's more, with just a few minutes of interaction, it seems we can fairly successfully gauge how accurate that initial impression is.

Guess that's a vote of confidence for speed dating, yeah?

Research also shows that it takes a long time to change those intuitive snap judgments.

Two of the most important relationships in my life, my husband and my best friend, began with strong first impressions. One of them overwhelmingly positive and one not as much.

With my husband, it was very much a love at first sight scenario. The first time he spoke to me, he had this lingering eye contact and warm smile that left me all fuzzy and… lit-up inside. In the weeks after we met I would learn his reputation as a bit of a playboy, but my interest in him never wavered. The attraction was beyond physical and reached me in ways my teenage-self had trouble putting into words. We are now coming up on our seventeenth wedding anniversary.

In my bestie's case, I met her through a mutual friend and initially thought she was a bit eccentric. While not a negative reaction, it didn't entice me to build a relationship. After about two years of getting to know each other at group events, an extenuating circumstance brought us together and we steadily built a friendship from there. We've now been actual friends for over eleven years and consider each other sisters. But guess what?!? I still think she's eccentric!

What about you? How accurate have first impressions been in your key relationships?

Look out for your first impression of Adam and Becca, coming soon!