Study: Facebook Attractiveness Based On Profile Image Comments
If you want to know how attractive people think you are on Facebook, then you only need look at the comments others have left on your profile picture. According to Mashable, a recent study from the University of Missouri states that your level perceived social, physical, and professional attractiveness is directly related to the things people say about your profile picture. Regardless of how beautiful you think you look in that image, apparently you’re only as gorgeous as other users think you are.
“People tend to rely more on other-generated information than self-generated information when forming impressions,” researcher Seoyeon Hong explained. “In other words, opinions of other people matter more than the target person’s own self-presentation. Thus, for social networking users concerned about forming a desired impression, being aware of other-generated information about oneself is paramount in the goal of achieving a positive self-presentation.”
In other words, if you don’t have a legion of followers telling you how wonderful you are on a regular basis, chances are strangers aren’t going to think you’re very interesting. What’s more, the study found that profile pictures depicting people in action were far more appealing to test subjects than those who simply uploaded a head shot.
Tom’s Hardware Guide reports that potential employers might be inclined to have a look at your Facebook page before offering you a job. If your profile picture is filled with comments describing you as nothing more than a degenerate layabout, chances are your dream job might go to someone else.
“These findings show how important it is to present yourself strategically on Facebook,” Hong explained. “If you want to be perceived positively by people who view your profile page, including friends and potential employers, it is important to include profile pictures with positive social cues.”
Do you base your opinions of a person on the things you find on their Facebook page?
