Negative Impressions

Once I was walking with an acquaintance through a building on campus. There was several people in the hall and one of them held out a bag of bakery cookies. "Do you want these cookies?"

"No thanks." I said.

"Really? They're fresh."

I declined again but my companion said that she would take them which she did. As we took the elevator up to the third floor my companion asked if I liked cookies or just didn't like taking food from strangers. I said neither and she promptly shared one of the cookies with me which I enjoyed.

The problem is that my gut response to most new things is "no." That goes for invitations to activities, new clothes on racks, etc.

I am especially bad with clothes. I often see clothes on racks in stores and think they are ugly but then if I put them on later or see others wearing them I will often think they look fine or even start really liking them. I just think it is surprising how first impressions for me tend to be indifferent or negative even if the long term opinion may be the complete opposite or at least unrelated.