Published: December 10, 2009

It’s been a month since Halloween and there’s no doubt you’re bored of that profile picture in your racy costume. So should you switch to the picture of you decked out in your Team Edward T-shirt kissing the life-sized Robert Pattinson cut-out outside the theater or the one of you and your sister covered in flour, “cooking” for Thanksgiving? It’s a tough decision and for good reason. According to livescience.com, a new study reveals that a picture on a social networking site such as Facebook can tell a lot about a person’s character traits, which puts a lot more pressure on students choosing a default.

Just take a peek at your friends list. Not only is it all your friends from home and the new posse you’ve adopted in college, but professors, co-workers and, for some of us unfortunate souls, Mom, are all in there too, meaning they all get to see the profile picture you choose.

“The appearance one portrays in his or her photographs has important implications for their professional and social life,” said study researcher Laura Naumann of Sonoma State University in her interview with lifescience.com, which comes as no surprise.

And while students may not always agree with professionals when it comes to social networking sites, it seems that, in this instance, many do.

“A picture is worth a 1,000 words and profile pictures are chosen by the person themselves as opposed to photos you’re tagged in that you have no control over, so they are obviously [a picture] you want everyone to see,” said Cristina Brito, FCLC ’12.

“To a certain degree, we’re visual people and we’re obviously biased by what we see,” responded Jonathan Johnson, FCLC ’13, when asked how influential he feels a profile picture can be.

“It is only natural to judge others by their profile picture, for it serves as the initial source of your Facebook identity apart from your name,” added Minira Aslanova, FCLC ’12.

However, not all students share this mentality.

“I don’t feel a person’s profile picture influences the way I think of them at all,” said Jordana Cotilletta, FCLC ’12.

But what exactly do students see when looking at another person’s profile picture? Do they judge someone based on their clothes or their smile or maybe who they’re with? According to the study, all of these are viable answers.

“I wouldn’t think differently of someone if they were alone or with people, but usually if they’re smiling it’s a good enough sign that they’re friendly,” said Maryellen Owens, FCLC ’11. “I might have a distorted first impression if the picture is of the person in provocative clothing.”

“If they’re laughing and they have a picture with friends having a good time, it’ll make me think that they are a funny, cool person,” said Hannah Richtman, FCLC ’13.

“Sometimes I do make judgments about a picture, but only if it’s over the top and you can tell the person is trying too hard,” said Maria Chekmeneva, FCLC ’12.

Now thanks to Facebook, you can form your first impression on a person without ever actually meeting them, making the profile picture picking process much harder, so what are students finally deciding on?

“It’s usually a recent picture; I like unique and interesting pictures, just something that catches your eye or if I get bored and don’t take pictures for a while I edit an old picture that I like,” said Anastasiya Holubyeva, FCLC ’12.

“I usually choose a funny picture, one that I like and that has a story behind it,” said Alex Randrup, FCLC ’12.

“Usually I [choose] a profile picture that someone recommends to me, or one I feel looks okay in the moment,” Chekmeneva said.

“Something that’s cute and reflects my personality,” Richtman said on how she selects a photo.

“[A picture] where I like the way I look in it and it’s a fun memory like a fun party or any other [picture that] reminds me of a fun time,” Brito said.

“I tend to choose pictures that appeal to my character and represent who I am as an individual,” Aslanova said.

With the potential pressure of picking the best picture of yourself, some students find it less stressful to put a picture of something or someone else.

“I choose something that doesn’t show a lot of my face, something with another focal point other than me,” Johnson said.

“I had a picture of a tree as my profile picture for a long time because I really liked it and it made me happy,” Cotilletta said.

“After the World Series it was Derek Jeter, so I don’t look for anything specific,” Owens said about her profile picture choice.

So whether you decide to show off your body or the body of your favorite baseball player, don’t be surprised when the next person you meet already has a preconceived impression of who you are. Don’t blame them; blame Facebook.