"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
According to a new study, that's true--and we're not very good at recognizing which of our profile pictures others will find beautiful.
SEE ALSO:Trendsetters teach us how to pose for show-stopping Tinder profile photosIn a small experiment with 102 students, researchers at UNSW Sydney in Australia found that the photos we pick of ourselves for our social media profiles, dating apps and professional networks don't put us in the best light.
Their findings, published Thursday in the journal Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, suggest that instead of being your best judge of attractiveness and other personality traits, you're better off asking the advice of a stranger.
Let strangers pick out your pics.Credit: DAVID WHITEThe researchers asked the students to choose two out of 12 photos that they were most or least likely to choose for a profile pic for sites like Facebook, Match and LinkedIn. Then they did the same selection process on strangers' pictures who had already participated in the study.
When researchers showed the pictures students had chosen to random internet strangers, the strangers found that the photos picked by others (not the student themselves) were more attractive, trustworthy, dominant, confident or competent, depending on which site they were meant for.
"Our findings suggest that people make poor choices when selecting flattering images of themselves for online profile pictures"
Lead author Dr. David White said in a release about the study, "Our findings suggest that people make poor choices when selecting flattering images of themselves for online profile pictures, which affects other people's perception of them."
So basically, we can't see ourselves very well, but others can find our beauty. This study needs further research to understand why this happens, but in the meantime, use this to your advantage.
Next time you're on the bus swiping through potential profile pics, take a risk and ask a stranger for their opinion. It might work out better for you. Or you'll just have a super weird interaction on the bus. Win-win.
TopicsFacebookLinkedInSocial Media
(责任编辑：百科)
Carlos Beltran made a very interesting hair choiceKirsten Dunst has all the shade to throw at 'SpiderIntel study: selfThis startup wants to be the QVC of your smartphoneFyvush Finkel, Emmy winner for 'Picket Fences,' dies at 93Fyvush Finkel, Emmy winner for 'Picket Fences,' dies at 93
NEW YORK (AP) — Actor Fyvush Finkel, the plastic-faced Emmy Award-winning character actor whos
...[详细]iOS 11 will finally put a stop to apps tracking you when you're not using them
Sick of apps tracking your every move? Apple's highly anticipated iOS 11 will hopefully give you som
...[详细]China debuts driverless train that only needs white painted lines as tracks
China's latest mode of public transportation is a bus, tram and train rolled into one.
。Its maker, Ch
...[详细]The next iPhone could have slower data than other flagships
We're still months away from the next iPhone which, by all accounts, will be Apple's most impressive
...[详细]Olympic security asks female Iranian fan to drop protest sign
Olympic security personnel questioned a female Iranian volleyball fan Saturday when she showed up fo
...[详细]Leonardo DiCaprio and Mexico team up to save the cutest little porpoise ever
A nearly extinct porpoise might have more of a chance thanks to actor and environmental advocate Leo
...[详细]8 things Trump said about the Paris Climate Agreement that are total BS
President Trump spoke at length on Thursday about his decision to withdraw the United States from th
...[详细]'Minecraft' players on the autism spectrum find a safe space on the Autcraft server
One dad wanted to give people on the autism spectrum a safe space to play Minecraft, so he made a tr
...[详细]Olympic security asks female Iranian fan to drop protest sign
Olympic security personnel questioned a female Iranian volleyball fan Saturday when she showed up fo
...[详细]Apple WWDC 2017: What to expect
A decade ago, the late Steve Jobs stood and sat at a desk on stage at Apple’s 2007 Worldwide D
...[详细]Dog elected for third term as mayor of Minnesota town
Now Trump wants solar panels to pay for the border wall