To Make People Take an Instant Dislike to You
There are plenty of ways to turn people off.
In fact, most of them don’t require much effort. All it takes is one look at your social media activity or a casual in-person introduction to make someone realize they just don’t want to spend time with you.
We’ve rounded up some of the most common social turn-offs online and in person, as well as how to avoid them. Read on and see which ones you’ve been guilty of.
1. Sharing too many photos on Facebook
You might be eager to share snapshots of your honeymoon, cousin’s graduation, and dog dressed in a Halloween costume, all within a 24-hour period.
But research has found that posting too many photos on Facebook can hurt your real-life relationships.
“This is because people, other than very close friends and relatives, don’t seem to relate well to those who constantly share photos of themselves,” lead study author David Houghton, PhD, said in a release.
Specifically, friends don’t like it when you’ve got too many photos of family, and relatives don’t like it when you’ve got too many photos of friends.
As Ben Marder, PhD, another author on the study, put it: “Be cautious when sharing and think how it will be perceived by all the others who may see it. Although sharing is a great way to better relationships, it can also damage them.”
2. Having too many or too few Facebook friends
In one study, researchers asked college students to look at fictional Facebook profiles and decide how much they liked the profiles’ owners. The study took place in 2008, and the students had about 300 friends each.
Results showed that the “sweet spot” for likability was about 300 friends. Likability ratings were lowest when a profile owner had only about 100 friends, and almost as low when they had more than 300 friends.
As for why 300-plus friends could be a turn-off, the study authors write, “Individuals with too many friends may appear to be focusing too much on Facebook, friending out of desperation rather than popularity.”
On the other hand, the researchers acknowledge that if you look at a population where the most common number of Facebook friends is 1,000, the sweet spot for likability could be 1,000.
Keep in mind, though, that one survey found that the average number of Facebook friends among adult users was 338 in 2014.
Interestingly, the study also found that participants weren’t consciously aware that they liked people less when they had too many or too few Facebook friends.
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