Facebook Knows You More Than You Do: How 'Likes' Determine Who You Are

You may not be aware that Facebook Likes actually show your personality. A study published in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences" showed the correlation between people's personalities and their Likes on Facebook. The things you Like on the social media site can actually tell you who you really are.

In the study, 80,000 volunteers took a personality quiz based on five major traits - openness, conscientiousness, agreeableness, extraversion and neuroticism. Each participant's spouse, family and friends were also asked to describe the participant's personality. Next, a computer model looked into the Facebook Likes of the participants then judged their personalities based on the information acquired. The conclusion was that the computer was more accurate in presenting the participants' personalities compared to their own friends and relatives.

In an article on Wired.com, Michal Kosinski, a computer science professor at Stanford University said about the computer's accuracy in assessing Facebook Likes and personality, "We're walking personality prediction machines, but computers beat us at our own game."

Humans are actually good in judging others' personality because it is an important trait for survival and establishing relationships with others. However, the study showed that computers have the tools and analytic approach that render more accurate results than human beings.

An algorithm was created by the researchers then provided the computer with the Facebook Likes and personality scores of the participants. The researchers only included Likes that participants shared with at least 20 other in the study. The model was then able to link particular Likes to particular personality traits. For example, people who Liked topics like "Dancing", "Singing" and "Partying" may point out that he is an extrovert or open individual. The more Likes found by the model, the more accurate the judgment became. Garnering 150 Likes will provide better results from the machine than the participant's relative and getting 300 Likes will get better results than the participant's spouse.

Kosinki also said that Facebook Likes do not merely show the most superficial aspects of a person's personality. He said, "I think it's the other way around. I think the computer can see through the prejudice we all have."