Are your Facebook and Twitter profile pictures giving away more than you think? To find out, answer the two questions below:
1. How often do you change your profile picture on Facebook? (a) Once a year or less, (b) several times a year, or (c) at least once a month?
2. Is your Twitter profile (a) a photo of yourself or (b) an avatar?
If you answered (a) to question 1 then, surprisingly, you are more likely to be an extrovert. If you answered (c), you are more likely an introvert, with (b)s in the middle. A study from the University of Warwick’s Cyber Security Centre found that participants scoring high on extroversion changed their profile picture less often than more introverted types: exactly the opposite of what the researchers expected. Why? Perhaps extroverts are out partying while introverts are tinkering with their profiles?
If you answered (b) to the second question, then, again surprisingly, you are – on average – more likely to be an extrovert; if you answered (a), an introvert. Again confounding their expectations, the researchers discovered that introverts are more likely to use a photo of themselves as their Twitter profile pic than extroverts. Why? We can only speculate, but perhaps introverts are serious types who use Twitter for business or academic networking (where showing your face is important), while extroverts are more likely to use Twitter for fun, choosing avatars that represent their tastes in a more playful way.
A fully referenced version of this article is available at benambridge.com. Order Psy-Q by Ben Ambridge (Profile Books, £8.99) for £6.99 at bookshop.theguardian.com
