Your online photos can reveal a lot

“In an age dominated by social media where personal photographs are ubiquitous, it becomes important to understand the ways personality is communicated via our appearance,” said study researcher Laura Naumann of Sonoma State University. “The appearance one portrays in his or her photographs has important implications for their professional and social life.”

With this information, there’s always the option of tweaking your image, and thus your personality to the outside world. “If you want potential employers or romantic suitors to see you as a warm and friendly individual, you should post pictures where you smile or are standing in a relaxed pose,” Naumann said.

Scientists have known physical appearance is important for first impressions and that such initial impressions can be hard to undo, particularly negative ones. Studies have shown judgments made at first glance of a CEO can predict his or her success.If you want to come off as an extravert, try to smile more, stand in energetic and less tense ways, and gear your overall appearance to look healthy (as opposed to sickly), neat and stylish, the study found. For those interested in seeming open to new experiences, it’d be best to show off a distinctive style of dressing rather than a healthy, neat appearance.