With 1.710 million users and 934 million people accessing it every day, Facebook has become the social network par excellence. In this space we publish photos of our travels, of the people we love and we share what interests us.
However, we don't all publish the same stuff. There are those who mainly share personal experiences such as the details of their last lunch or a fantastic trip, others use the social network to express their feelings towards friends and still others use it as a battleground for making politics.
This diversity indicates that our profile on this social network has become, in a certain sense, an extension of ourselves and a reflection of some characteristics of our personality. Therefore, Brunel University psychologists have tried to assess the relationship between the publications we share on Facebook and our personality. By analyzing 555 people they were able to establish the different categories closely related to the different personological characteristics.
The 5 most common types of publications and the characteristics they hide
1. Publications related to exercise, diet and personal achievements
Photos of training in the gym, a close-up of muscles, pictures of every dish from the fashion diet, a photo of the latest smartphone or car you just bought ... This kind of publication is linked to a narcissistic personality since you don't these are information relevant to your circle of friends but are publications that focus solely on yourself and your personal “successes”. Usually these people don't really want to connect with others, they just want to grab their attention to receive more and more likes and comments, because only when they feed their ego do they feel good.
2. Publications relating to the couple relationship
It is normal to post photos with our partner as we have many experiences together that we would like to share with others. But when the number of publications is such that you no longer know exactly who the profile belongs to and the person disappears to emphasize their partner, it could indicate a lack of self-esteem. Also, if the social network is used to post private matters, such as spiteful messages, anger or frustration towards an ex, it could reveal a neurotic person who is likely looking for social support to deal with the situation.
3. Publications on children
Again it is perfectly understandable that parents share the experiences they have had with their children, as these are an important part of their life. Indeed, this trend could indicate a reasonable, responsible and organized person. But if the number of publications is excessive and these often focus on problems and negative aspects, it could indicate a person with neurotic traits, anxious and very sensitive to stress. If the Facebook profile presents itself as a collection of medals in which all the successes of the child are collected, however small and insignificant, it can indicate a very competitive person and in need of validating their skills as a mother or father through the social network.
4. Publications on social life and everyday details
The publications relating to lived experiences, the small details of everyday life and scheduled events, usually indicate an outgoing person, who uses this network to communicate and connect with others. These people tend to be talkative and cheerful, they like to socialize and actively participate on Facebook by commenting on other people's profiles.
5. Intellectual publications
Those who often share news, studies, current affairs or relfessions are usually a person with a greater open-mindedness, more creative, attentive to the world, with greater intellectual curiosity and concerned about their own personal growth. These people use Facebook to share information they find most valuable and relevant, and rarely comment on personal bulletin board updates as they generally prefer face-to-face meetings.
How reliable are these correlations?
Personality is a very complex construction, it is not the simple union of different characteristics, and it changes throughout life. This means that by tagging and pigeonholing people, we only see a small part of them, ignoring the rest.
However, the fact remains that we spend more and more time on the Internet and project ourselves through the net, so that every time we "like" or share something, we are reflecting our interests, concerns and, of course, we let a glimpse of something. of what we are.
