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Science

Inferring Personality From Email Addresses 309

paleshadows writes "Three researchers from the University of Leipzig published an interesting paper titled 'How extroverted is honey.bunny77@hotmail.de? Inferring personality from e-mail addresses' (PDF). From the abstract: 'Email addresses represent the thinnest slice of information that people receive from one another. Using 599 e-mail addresses of young adults, their self-reported personality scores and the personality judgments of 100 independent observers, it was shown that personality impressions based solely on e-mail addresses were consensually shared by observers. Moreover, these impressions contained some degree of validity. This was true for neuroticism, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and narcissism but not for extroversion."'
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Inferring Personality From Email Addresses

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  • What next? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by hezekiah957 ( 1219288 ) on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @09:26AM (#24581757)
    Next: scientists discover that how you look and act reflects on your personality, too.
    • Re:What next? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by bob_herrick ( 784633 ) on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @01:18PM (#24586137)
      Bollocks. The correlations are weak, at best, and are barely distinguishable from chance. E.g., Consider Table 2. There are 196 entries in the top section of the table. The excess of postive correlations over negative corrlations is a grand total of 8. Assuming 50/50 odds, that excess will happen about 11% of the time just by chance alone. When you factor in the conditional probablity of publishing results (i.e., the argument that if they were any weaker, the data would never have been published), this has to be an extraordinarily weak finding.

      The average correlation (without regard to sign) in the same section of Table 2 is a whoppping 0.067, suggesting an average explanatory power on the order of 0.5%. I suppose such power might have some benefit to someone that sends a lot of e-mails to random addresses like spammers, but for the odinary Joe or Jo, this is not a lot to go on.
  • by Bloke down the pub ( 861787 ) on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @09:26AM (#24581763)

    How extraverted is honey.bunny77@hotmail.de

    I don't know, but I have a suspicion that he/she doesn't have much of a sense on humour.

    • Re:Erste gepostung (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Arkham ( 10779 ) on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @10:06AM (#24582505)

      How extraverted is honey.bunny77@hotmail.de

      My first thought was "spammer". I suspect that says more about me than the owner of the email.

      • My first thought was that they watched Pulp Fiction right before choosing it, but then I watched Pulp Fiction last night, so i must agree with you. BTW - has anyone emailed honey.bunny77@hotmail.de and just asked them?
    • I mean seriously...at least 76 other people have honey.bunny!

      Think up something new!

  • by bakes ( 87194 ) on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @09:30AM (#24581815) Journal

    What does the address chunkylover53@aol.com tell you?

  • Okay my email starts with zizban@...so what does that say about me?
  • Bad example? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Prien715 ( 251944 ) <agnosticpope@NOsPAm.gmail.com> on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @09:33AM (#24581863) Journal

    So the article summary starts with:
    How extraverted is honey.bunny77@hotmail.de? Inferring personality from e-mail addresses

    And ends with:
    Moreover, these impressions contained some degree of validity....but not for extraversion

    So the only example in the summary is wrong. And you can tell by reading the summary. Bravo.

    • by smoker2 ( 750216 )
      No, you are wrong. the summary starts by asking a question, then finishes by answering it. And you are considered insightful ?
  • by larry bagina ( 561269 ) on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @09:35AM (#24581915) Journal
    I mean, consider an address like "leatherdude@hotmale.com", "bottom4lrgck@gmail.com", or "cowboyneal@slashdot.org" It's fairly safe to assume they're into the gay scene.
  • Is it weird that I don't really like having my email addresses tell other people much about me other than the basics, like my name and unfortunately I'll throw in the YOB just because it's a number I won't forget...

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      You've got a good start your name and DOB in there, but if you really want to obfuscate and anonymize you need to add your social security number.

  • One of my email addresses starts with 'None_Yobidness@....'. That fits my personality; when someone asks for my email address, I can truthfully say that it's None Yobidness!
  • "Sexy". (Score:2, Informative)

    If a girl has the word "sexy" as part of her email address, don't fall in love with her. No matter how hot she is, no matter how freaky she is.

    Just don't. :(

  • Extraversion where? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Woundweavr ( 37873 ) on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @09:37AM (#24581965)

    Personality tests are (reasonably) based around extroversion in normal social interactions. I think its fairly well accepted that one's introversion/extroversion on the Internet is not necessarily the same as in "meat space". Perhaps "honey bunny" is shy in real life but using the freedom and anonymity of the web to act as she would like to be able to act in real life without consequences. The reserved accountant in real life could be the brash bon vivant at their computer.

    Granted, a similar variation would be likely for other attributes, but I would be surprised if extroversion was the trait most likely to have a radical change (increase).

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      Personality tests are (reasonably) based around extroversion in normal social interactions. I think its fairly well accepted that one's introversion/extroversion on the Internet is not necessarily the same as in "meat space". Perhaps "honey bunny" is shy in real life but using the freedom and anonymity of the web to act as she would like to be able to act in real life without consequences. The reserved accountant in real life could be the brash bon vivant at their computer.

      Granted, a similar variation would be likely for other attributes, but I would be surprised if extroversion was the trait most likely to have a radical change (increase).

      Maybe, just maybe, HoneyBunny77 is a 31 year old who likes the movie Pulp Fiction?

  • by cwAllenPoole ( 1228672 ) on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @09:38AM (#24581985) Homepage

    it was shown that personality impressions based solely on e-mail addresses were consensually shared by observers.

    ... So someone paid one hundred observers and who knows how many research administrators to find out that if a group of people look at the same word(s), they will have a similar reaction? Strange, I thought that was the primary purpose of language. Silly me...

    Moreover, these impressions contained some degree of validity.

    And this says absolutely nothing. At all. "Some degree of validity" includes such conditions as "My father's, brother's, nephew's, cousin's, former roommate felt that way".

    • Well, you got 1/2 of it right.

      They then compared peoples reactions to the self-reported personality types of the people who submitted their email addresses to the researchers.

      And, as it turns out, they found correlation on each of their metrics, the only exception being "extroversion."

  • "Knob Gobbling" has a COMPLETELY different meaning in New Zealand, people!
  • by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @09:45AM (#24582093)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • by Omniscious ( 1260360 ) on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @09:47AM (#24582121)

    ...one question comes to mind: Is psychology really a science?

  • So, if somebody's address is 'metalhead@domain', it's safe to assume that he likes Iron Maiden -- or has a plate in his skull?
  • by autocracy ( 192714 ) <`moc.omemniyrots' `ta' `7002todhsals'> on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @09:52AM (#24582219) Homepage

    One of my favorites, though, is the story of a guy applying for a job at Yahoo! He registered the email account "iwanttowork(@yahoo.com)," and used that to send his resume. They hired him.

    I wish I could find my source for that, but I'm damn sure it happened.

    • by CFTM ( 513264 )

      Dude, it was my sister's friend's brother's aunt's uncle's nephew! I heard the SAME story! ;) Sorry, I couldn't resist...

    • by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @10:26AM (#24582933)

      One of my favorites, though, is the story of a guy applying for a job at Yahoo! He registered the email account "iwanttowork(@yahoo.com)," and used that to send his resume. They hired him.

      I live in Sweden, and here the unemployment benefits are great. One of the conditions for receiving benefits is that you keep looking for a job...
      Hence, I was once presented with an application sent from a guy with the illustrious address of lazybastard@coffebreak [rest of address withheld].

      True story.

      • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

        by drspliff ( 652992 )

        Hrm, I should try that, after a series of unfortunate events I'm now unemployed and thinking of signing on for benefits.

        mentally.unstable@i-kill-kittens.domain

    • by toby ( 759 ) * on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @10:26AM (#24582945) Homepage Journal
      and ask.
  • But the first thing I thought when I saw "honey.bunny77@hotmail.de" was that it was a spam address.

  • by MobyDisk ( 75490 ) on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @10:01AM (#24582413) Homepage

    A friend of mine and I were looking for a 3rd room mate to share the costs with. We previously had a female friend of ours and we got along just fine (she got married and moved out) so we figured male or female was okay, so long as the personalities matched-up. So he put an ad online.

    One of the responses was from a girl who said she was fun and easy to get along with and had no problem rooming with guys. My friend was about to call her, but I noticed that her email address was some sort of obfuscated leet-speak, and after staring at it for a moment I realized it was her bra size + some other personality attributes. I decifered it and did a google search only to find some prom pictures that would make a porn star blush. We decided to keep searching. (Yes, many readers will call me crazy for that. Choose your roommates carefully guys.)

    Lesson learned: email addresses can say a lot about someone.

    • by Grashnak ( 1003791 ) on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @10:06AM (#24582513)

      One of the responses was from a girl who said she was fun and easy to get along with and had no problem rooming with guys. My friend was about to call her, but I noticed that her email address was some sort of obfuscated leet-speak, and after staring at it for a moment I realized it was her bra size + some other personality attributes. I decifered it and did a google search only to find some prom pictures that would make a porn star blush.

      So, of course, you called her immediately and asked her when she could move in?

      You tell this story like it was a bad thing...

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by hey! ( 33014 )

        Well, I imagine the problem wouldn't be so much with the roommate, as the people who come ... er ... are associated with her. It's wise to remember that when you get a roommate, s/he comes with relatives, friends, acquaintances and possibly clients of sorts. Orgy girl's party might be fun to drop in on, but you wouldn't want to live there.

        Still, it might be interesting to be persuaded otherwise.

    • by Fantastic Lad ( 198284 ) on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @10:13AM (#24582681)

      (Yes, many readers will call me crazy for that. Choose your roommates carefully guys.)

      Whoa. Crazy? No, 'crazy' would have been the house you'd have if you invited her in. Been there, and not because the landlord listened to my suggestions. I've lived with some very interesting people from all across the social spectrum, and it IS fun and enlightening, but the stress level eventually forces a dramatic shift of some kind. I wouldn't go back and change a thing with my experiences, but they were by no means a walk in the park. I have a lot of very fond memories from my room-mate years, but it was hell on earth at times. There is a time and a place for both adventures and for quiet.

      -FL

      • by sm62704 ( 957197 )

        Amen. Charlie (she's a girl, guys; journal nsfw) wanted to move in with me. I had to tell her she could crash there for a few days, but I'm not taking in any roomers. I've had a few in the last year (ioncluding her over a year ago), and they were all pains in the ass one way or another.

        The next woman that moves in with me is going to have to be my lover in a monogamous relationship.

        One would think from my username that I'm into S&M, but my username is my initials and the zip code I was living in when I

        • by Rycross ( 836649 )

          Given what you put in your journal, I wouldn't peg you as someone wanting to get into a monogamous relationship. Off-topic, I know.

        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by spun ( 1352 )

          My favorite hot girl roommate was a paranoid schizophrenic model. Seriously. "Do I look okay? STOP LOOKING AT ME!" You'd think having a hot girl run into your room at night and jump into bed with you and your girlfriend would be, well, hot. But not when she's screaming about the demon voices and begging you to protect her from Satan.

    • So, uh, what was her email address again? -wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
  • by SirLurksAlot ( 1169039 ) on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @10:03AM (#24582455)

    that if you have multiple email addresses you have multiple personalities?

  • meh (Score:4, Interesting)

    by legoman666 ( 1098377 ) on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @10:09AM (#24582573)
    I chose my screenname/email address when I was in 4th grade. I'm now a Junior in college. So the only thing you can infer from my email address is about my personality ~10 years ago.
    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by ZerdZerd ( 1250080 )
      Personality never changes, legoman666! Once a legoman666, always a legoman666.
    • by sm62704 ( 957197 )

      I chose my screenname/email address when I was in 4th grade. my email address is about my personality ~10 years ago.

      I'm 56, and even I'm not much at all like I was ten years ago.

      Ten years ago I was married with a teenaged daughter and a preteen daughter, smoked cigarettes, wore coke-bottle glasses and a mustache, played a lot of videogames, almost never went out, had a fairly popular quake site.

      Now I don't smoke, don't wear glasses, wear a goatee, and live alone (I raised the daughters by myself after Evil-

    • I shudder to imagine your spam folder. A decade of being shuffled through various spammers' databases...
  • at least you get to have a cup of tea with someone and chat before you "read the leaves".

  • Chair alert (Score:5, Funny)

    by elgatozorbas ( 783538 ) on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @10:11AM (#24582627)
    If his/her address is s.ballmer@microsoft.com, they might be short-tempered.
  • When I first started getting Email addresses, unless they were assigned by school, I would just use whatever random cartoon character name from whatever comic book or cartoon I happened to be reading at the time. As time passed, things happened:

    .

    1. Other people besides me started using the Internet, and no matter how obscure a cartoon character was, somebody already took it. Also, Japanese cartoons and comic books became more popular, so formerly obscure characters I'd use suddenly became well know.

    2.

  • come get your emailadresses here!

    "My email is notsobright@spamheaven.com, what does that say about me?"

  • easy! (Score:5, Funny)

    by cashman73 ( 855518 ) on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @10:14AM (#24582703) Journal
    You could almost guess personalities by domain names:
    • Any email address ending in @fark.com means the user is an alcoholic; double whammy if you've got drew@fark.com.
    • Any email address ending in @aol.com means the user is a clueless n00b, and should probably be shot to spare them of their misery online.
    • If you're email address ends in, @yale.edu, or @duke.edu, that means that the user is some rich punk living off of mommy and daddy's trust fund,...
    • Email addresses ending in @mit.edu or @cmu.edu are for nerds and geeks.
    • Any email address ending in @*.info is not a real person.
    • If you're email address is president@whitehouse.gov, you're just a dumb Texan who enjoys surfing these "series of tubes" known as the "internets" and fscking the country over and over,...
    • If you're email address ends in @house.gov, @senate.gov, or @riaa.org you're most likely a criminal.
  • by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @10:24AM (#24582903)

    "Scientists" have discovered that 9/10 people can deduce the personality of people by the studies they are conducting.

    "People judge me as having a God complex," Dr C. Heesenfeed commented, "mostly because I have mice running through mazes all day. But my studies have proven that 87% of all mice will go for a delicous piece of Emmental rather than for Brie. Cheese produces claimed that I was biased towards the rich and full flavour of the delicious Emmental, as opposed to plain old Brie. My friends avoid me these days because I always play with mice."

    But statistical analysis has indeed shown that most people judge scientists by their statistical studies. 50% of people find most studies frivolous or useless, 30% found them to be an utter waste of time, while only 20% responded they liked to read about pointless statistics in the newspaper.

    "People tell me that sometimes I'm really out there,", spoke Dr W. Ellhung, "especially when I tell them about my studies into the mating behavior in humans and finding a link between what food people eat. It's not really out there, because I've found sufficient evidence that eating very large amounts of chili on a regular interval decreases your chances of scoring... I mean, decreases the attraction coefficient."

    According to an anonymous source "Statistics don't always have to be meaningless. When interpreted correctly they can be very useful, for example, I am currently trying to predict next week lottery numbers by calculating the chance that a certain number will be picked using collected data from over 25 years. When I'm a millionaire, no one will be laughing with me anymore. I'll show them, or my name isn't Pjotr Orb'stard". He was then seen running towards the exit while laughing diabolically before impacting against the automatic door. "What are the odds of that happening to me???" he yelled.

    What are the odds indeed

  • Mine begins ciscogod@ ....

  • by colinRTM ( 1333069 ) on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @10:29AM (#24583041)

    ...are necessary. I once received a CV from "slap_head_dave@..." He didn't even get an interview.

    That sort of jocular email address is fine for your friends' use but you need to use a serious one for business / applying for jobs etc. or else nobody will take you seriously at all.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by joebellis ( 788460 )
      One person that I had business dealings with had stoned@... for his business email address. The firm's email addy convention was lastname, first initial. It did make for intersesting conference calls. Later it was changed to lastname.firstname as he moved up in the company.
  • One of the things i hated about Sherlock Holmes novels were their "deductions" based on small hints. From a scratched clock he deducted (turned up that "correctly", oh, author power) all a family story, while could have been a lot of ways to get the same result.

    With emails could be the same. Being into the highly creative and imaginative sector of the population that uses his name as base for the email address, cant stop thinking in names that could lead to wrong conclusions with this methodology (or at lea
  • by rivaldufus ( 634820 ) on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @10:33AM (#24583123)
    as my email address. That way, anyone can learn anything they want to know about me.
  • It's for perceptions such as this that I recently moved from an old high school GMail address to a more generic MyName@MyPersonallyBrandedDomain.tld address. The former was hindering my professional development, whereas the latter is enhancing it. It's a small thing, but your email address is often a first impression. Ask yourself, "What does ChronicCommenter@Slashdot.org saying about me?"
  • Well... (Score:3, Funny)

    by MetaPhyzx ( 212830 ) * on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @10:57AM (#24583535)

    We all can't be ladiesman217.... :)

  • bubbaforjesus2010@bringontherapture.com [mailto]

    you aint gettin nuthin from my intertube address geeks!

  • by petes_PoV ( 912422 ) on Wednesday August 13, 2008 @01:04PM (#24585883)
    A sample of a few hundred, using a self-assessment method, with an average age in the teens? Come on, this isn't science - it's a party game.

    Given the infinitesimally small size of the sample, the researchers have effectively one, single datum, except it isn't even that. The completely casual method of assessment (filling in a questionnaire about yourself - self-image, much?) gives utterly irreproducible results. The complete lack of any numerical or quantifiable data makes drawing conclusions impossible.

    Here's a quick assessment of personality of a group with an average age of 16. They're all immature. Some are more mature than others, some will grow more mature with age - others won't. The link with emails addresses is random, as most won't have been able to get their first-choice addresses anyway (the grown-ups will have those).

    This is one for the ig-nobel awards.

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