First impressions aren’t everything: just a word or a tone of voice can rewrite our mental representation of a person. Research conducted by the University of Milan-Bicocca demonstrates that hearing only a few words from a person's voice is sufficient to alter the mental image of their face stored in our memory—that is, their mental representation. The research was published in Social Psychological and Personality Science. Employing a method known as reverse correlation, researchers depicted mental representations of faces prior to and following exposure to a positive or negative voice. The findings indicate that when listening to a positive—soft and kind—voice after a negative impression based on the face, the mind reconstructs a more open, trustworthy, and pleasant face image. Conversely, a frigid or unfriendly tone can cause a face initially perceived as reassuring to seem more severe and negative. This appears to be a spontaneous process of sensory integration, occurring even when the face was seen only for the aim of memorizing its traits rather than judging it. “Social impressions are not ‘carved in stone’", the researchers explain Hearing an individual's voice can modify the mental visual representation of that person. Our perceptions are receptive to information from additional senses and are far more adaptable than we typically assume". The implications are significant, spanning from personnel recruitment and judicial procedures to interactions with voice assistants and AI avatars, as well as fostering trust in the media and political figures. In a progressively hybrid environment blending the physical and digital realms, understanding how we assimilate information from brief interactions is crucial for making better-informed decisions, preventing misunderstandings, and enhancing the effectiveness of social and professional relationships.