How To Make Your Profile Pic More Likeable

It's a question we've all asked at one point or another: "Why has no one 'liked' my Facebook pic?!"

Sure, none of us want to admit it, but it's a universal truth...we're all just a touch vain, and we all want to know that the profile photo we spent hours choosing is catching a few eyes and setting a few hearts a-flutter. It's just human nature.

A new report in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking offers insight into how to do exactly that. The report examined "the role of visual cues and comment congruence in perceptions of social attractiveness from Facebook profiles" and found - in less confusing English - that people with profile photos that include social cues are perceived as more physically and socially attractive than people with simple headshot-style profile pictures.

So what's a social cue?

A social cue is provides extra information about who you are and what you like to do. If you're an artist, a picture with a social cue would be a shot of you in front of your favorite piece at your first gallery show. If you're an athlete, a picture with a social cue would be a shot of you scoring the winning point from last week's game. If you're a poet or a musician, a picture with a social cue would show you performing at an open mic night.

Get it?

"These findings show how important it is to present yourself strategically on Facebook," says study co-author Seoyeon Hong. "If you want to be perceived positively by people who view your profile page, including friends and potential employers, it is important to include profile pictures with positive social cues.

That picture of you passed out in the bathtub after a night of binge drinking? Yeah, you might want to delete that.

But that shot of you accepting an award for your work with your favorite charity? Make it a profile picture, because it says something positive and meaningful about you.

The study also found that the comments left on profile pictures affect a person's perceived attractiveness. "People tend to rely more on other-generated information than self-generated information when forming impressions," explains Hong. When someone views your profile on Facebook, they are more likely to form an opinion of you based on what other say about you than on the way you present yourself.

If the goal is to produce a desired impression, it's not only important to choose your photos wisely, it's also important to monitor your friends' comments. Positive comments are helpful, and negative comments - even sarcastic ones - can be damaging.

To maximize the effects of positive self-presentation on Facebook, Hong recommends "using profile pictures with extensive social cues to show who and what you are in a positive way while also keeping track of what others say about you."

To find out more on how to use this social network to meet singles, please read our Facebook review.