Photos give us a general idea of how someone appears, but there are many characteristics that a two-dimensional picture cannot provide. “This is especially true with regard to height and stature, which is impossible to tell through a photo,” Loo says. “From a clinician’s standpoint, there were therapy patients who I had yet to meet in person because we started meeting in 2020 via teletherapy. Until this year I’d only seen them from the shoulders up! I met patients who were far taller or shorter than I imagined, and discovering those details did require me to amend my overall picture of who they were. It also gave me insight into how they are perceived by others (e.g., a petite woman showing up for an interview will elicit different impressions than one who is very tall). As a cognitive-behavioral psychologist, one of the areas of growth I’m always encouraging is cognitive flexibility, or the ability to shift your perspective or how you think. I think the level and speed at which you ‘recover’ when modifying initial impressions can depend on how cognitively flexible you are.”