Twitter profile pic can disclose your personality: study

Image
Press Trust of India Washington
Last Updated : May 29 2016 | 1:57 PM IST
Twitterati, take note! Your profile picture may not only show your followers how attractive you are, but also tell a lot about your personality, according to a new study.
Researchers from University of Pennsylvania in the US used character assessment software to analyse the profile pictures of 66,000 Twitter users, and asked a further 434 people to fill in a psychological survey.
They sorted the respondents into five personality categories - neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, extroversion and openness to experience, 'The Telegraph' reported.
According to researchers, neurotic people have trouble holding back their negative emotions. Participants in this category are likely to set their profile picture as something other than their face, such as a pet or building, they said.
Users who are agreeable are the most likely to be cheerful, get along with others and smile, researchers said.
The profile pictures of agreeable people are one of the most likely to be colourful, and will feature the person laughing, playing with others or smiling broadly, they said.
Conscientious people are those who enjoy "orderliness, planned behaviour and self-discipline," researchers said.
They are more likely to appear older than their years in profile pictures, and will use techniques such as wearing glasses or smarter clothes to achieve this, they said.
Like agreeable people, even extroverts are likely to have colourful profile pictures and are always smiling. They also tend to pose with young people, or adopt other techniques to make themselves appear younger than they are, researchers said.
People who are open to experience are those who enjoy tackling new, exciting experiences and are not afraid to pose in an odd way.
They are most likely to pose with an object and take colourless photos, looking angry or sad, researchers said.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: May 29 2016 | 1:57 PM IST

Next Story