Cool Tips on How to Pick the Best Profile Photo
May 26, 2020
Admittedly, social media has become a part of our lives. They help us connect with other people in our circle without having to go outside our homes. At the same time, they allow us to meet new people without going to any sort of social event. Social media platforms are the ultimate tool for bridging the gap between people.
Of course, social media platforms have also created a sort of community culture within their reach. Whether it’s online dating or meeting friends, there are certain things you need to do when meeting people online. One of them is knowing how to give a good first impression.
The Importance of a Profile Photo
As most people say, the first impression is the one that will last – the same goes for social media or online dating sites! Gone are the days when people will just simply add someone who adds them. That was probably the case back then with Myspace or Friendster. Nowadays, the online socialization game is a little different.
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These days, people are a little more evaluating when it comes to choosing friends. Since the profile picture is the first thing a person sees, then he/she will make a judgment based on that picture. In a way, the profile picture can also tell what kind of personality you have based on what kind of picture you put.
Do take note that your profile picture may not tell the whole story about you, but we’re talking about first impressions. If you don’t pass the first impression, then you won’t get to the next step.
The big question here is: how do you choose the best profile photo for your account? Well, there are actually several factors that you need to take into consideration. To help you with that, here are some tips we prepared so you can pick the best photo for your profile:
1. Base it on your social media platform
When you want to give off a first impression, you must first determine the purpose of your profile pic. For instance, you’ll want to look professional if you’re going to create a Linkedin profile. That said, you’ll want to put a profile picture that is somehow work or business-related. Maybe put a picture of you in a suit, a picture of you giving a talk, or maybe a simple ID-type picture.
However, things will be different if you go to an online dating site. In this case, you’ll need to look like you’re available and ready to mingle. You need to have a profile picture that depicts what you may look like when you go on a date. Remember, you’re there to peacock and attract a pretty lady. That’s why an attraction type of approach is needed.
For normal Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram profiles, you can be a little more flexible if you’re only after meeting friends or connecting with existing ones.
2. Highlight the right facial features
There’s a pretty interesting study that was done by the Psychology Department of the University of York. The team behind the research analyzed 1000 faces to know which features are most appealing for a first impression. They were able to find out that certain facial features are more effective for certain purposes.
They found that there are three factors that may affect a first impression: approachability, dominance, and youthful attractiveness.
For instance, if you want to seem approachable (for when you want to meet friends), the facial feature you need to focus on is your mouth. You’ll want to give off a nice smile in order to make you seem like you’re easy to talk to.
If you want to look for a date online, then the key component is youthfulness. You’ll want to look as alluring and attractive as possible by using your eyes. However, this may depend on other factors such as the preference of who you want to attract. But in general, larger eyes are more related to youthfulness.
For the purpose of dominance, you may want to consider the cheeks, eyebrows, and skin saturation. We’d say that you may want to have a dominant profile picture on Linkedin to show that you are a serious worker.
3. Ask for a friend’s opinion
Another pretty interesting take on choosing a good profile picture was brought up in a study from the Cognitive Research journal. The study consisted of participants being asked to choose profile pics for themselves and for strangers. From there, a group of viewers was brought in to judge the profile pictures.
Strangely enough, the self-selected images weren’t as flattering as the images that were chosen for other people to the viewers.
An explanation for this is because of a bias that we have for our own face. Most people have this bias to look at their own faces with more favor than other people, making us have a hindrance to judgment.
What can we do about this? We can actually ask other people’s opinions, especially if we want to choose a profile pic for a dating site.
Conclusion
While profile pictures are something that we don’t usually think about when we choose them, they actually play a huge role in how others perceive us. When you want to do online dating, meet new friends, or look for a job, the profile picture is always the most important aspect to think of first.
That’s why you need to think carefully before you make your choice – and don’t forget to follow the tips we gave above.
