

The pictures also make users appear older than they actually are. They don’t tend to use grey scale images, they rarely wear glasses and the size of the face is usually smaller. A picture showing the users face only is therefore most expected and they are more likely to appear as happy, smiling or positive than any other trait. The study describes conscientiousness as the personality trait associated with orderliness, planned behaviour and self discipline and for that reason these users “prefer the expected behaviour”. Users are often seen wearing glasses, but not sunglasses, show less emotion and the ratio of the face size is usually larger than others. Photos are also likely to be more aesthetically pleasing and use an artistic quality such as grey scale. The analysis revealed that these users are “likely to have profile pictures other than faces, which reveals non-conformance with what is expected”. So the question is, what category does your profile pic fall in and how much is it giving away to other social media users, not to mention future employers or advertisers? Openness (Jasmaine Mathews/Thinkstock) The study used the Twitter profiles of more than 66,000 people – making it larger than most psychological studies – while 429 users filled in a standard personality questionnaire and found “significant differences in profile picture choice between personality traits”. They are also likely to portray a younger image either through the use of a picture from years ago or with them posing with younger people. (Jonathan Brady/PA)įor instance, extraverts are more likely to have a profile picture with several faces in it. That’s according to a group of researchers who have investigated the link between people’s profile pictures and their personality traits.Īccording to the study, social media users can be grouped into one of the Big Five model personality traits – openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism – based on their profile picture alone. The social media profile picture could be the window to your soul. Your profile picture is telling people more about your personality than you thought 3 months ago
