Ever meet someone and totally blow it? Forget their name, say something awkward, and/or come across less than your stellar self? Good news! You’re probably being way harder on yourself than they are!

The journal Psychological Science released a study this month that found people’s first impressions of you are probably better than you think.  And in general, you’re more well-liked than you realize!

Researchers at Harvard and Cornell observed people meeting for the first time, and then had them rate each other . . . and themselves . . . according to how the conversation went. And people consistently rated the other person as being more likeable and fun to talk to than they rated themselves . . . a trend they called the “liking gap.”

It didn’t just apply to first impressions though.  Even after several months of knowing someone, people still gave them higher ratings than they gave themselves.

In other words, you shouldn’t be so nervous about making a good first impression, because you probably come across better than you think!