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."'
What next? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What next? (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
Erste gepostung (Score:5, Funny)
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)
My first thought was "spammer". I suspect that says more about me than the owner of the email.
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Or Creativity!! (Score:2)
I mean seriously...at least 76 other people have honey.bunny!
Think up something new!
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In other words, he was being a twat.
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German humour (Score:2)
Who was it, who once described it as: "German humour is just like jewish humour, except it's not funny"?
Re:German humour (Score:5, Informative)
I still feel insulted a little when I read things like these. While I agree on German humour being kind of special I think that it has some very funny ways. For example we have a sense for the humor of very elaborate and absurd situations - for absolutely no reason.
Have a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicco_von_Buelow [wikipedia.org] or some of his work at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70Dd5dosUhk [youtube.com] or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rypULAp99ao [youtube.com] or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVCk8Inkav4 [youtube.com]
The English have a humour that quite sometimes is similar to aspects of our humour, neither nation would admit it, of course.
Proof: Watch http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9105942950207814319 [google.com]
for example.
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You started it!
Re:German humour (Score:4, Funny)
But that was Austrian humour
Re:German humour (Score:5, Funny)
I still feel insulted a little when I read things like these.
So let me get this straight. I'm guessing you are probably of German descent, and you're insulted that someone was coyly and humorously teasing Germans...for lacking a sense of humor?
I just wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything... :-p
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It not so much insulting - it feels like having a close relative who's not very good looking but has a beautiful voice.
German humour often works requires understanding of the German culture and the many degrees of freedom the German language has, which often transport fine differences in meaning.
I find it quite difficult to grok japanese humour and I think German humour may be as difficult for non Germans.
And I still remember my - usually very distinguished - physics teacher having difficulties breathing be
Re:German humour (Score:4, Interesting)
Japanese humour, like German humour, and indeed, everybody else's humour, has multiple levels. There's more intellectual stuff which relies on cultural knowledge, but you also do see slapstick, absurdity, and other genres of humour. Lots of people like to moan about how high brow British humour is, for example, but that's the same nation that gave us Benny Hill and Red Dwarf. Not exactly high brow. Japanese humour isn't really any different.
Take, for example, the Japanese comedy Ping Pong Bath Station (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0169126/). Absolutely hilarious. And one of my favourite Japanese movies. It's about a hot spring resort that decides to rejuvinate its business by hosting a ping pong tournament. The thing is that alongside cultural reference humour that you may or may not get, one of the characters is transgendered, and used as comic relief. There's still some cultural humour in that character, but it is a level of humour that's much closer to what an American audience will be used to.
Ultimately, it's a question of where you go. Some German humour, you'll get. Some you won't. The same can be said for the rest of the world.
Anyway... no real point. Just felt like mentionning that you can't lump it all together. And obligatory disclaimer: my mum's family is Scottish/Irish, my dad's family is German, and I studied Japanese in University. It's American "humour" that I don't appreciate....
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How about... (Score:5, Funny)
What does the address chunkylover53@aol.com tell you?
Re:How about... (Score:5, Funny)
mmmm, chunky peanut butter....
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Ummm (Score:2)
Re:Ummm (Score:5, Funny)
From that I can tell you are a some what a geek who visits sites like SlashDot. It also tells me that you are concerned about your email address being harvested and eventually being used as a target for spam.
Now do me. My email address is: useless.research.nominations _at_ elmuerte.com
Occupations from E-mail addresses (Score:2)
Re:Ummm (Score:5, Funny)
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You jive with British fantasy/humor authors and their world views more than the average Slashdotter. Probably dig Doctor Who on a soul-level.
That is, if you're not a black rapper replicating street slang of some kind.
How close was I? Cigars today?
-FL
Bad example? (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
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It says a lot (Score:5, Funny)
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Imagine what Commander Taco [cmdrtaco.net] means? :)
And That's Why I hate Making new Email Address! (Score:2)
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...
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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.
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That is why you have 2 or more email addresses. One is a professional with your name. As you want people who get your email know who you are. And an other for posting or having an email that protects your idenity. jellomizer@domain.high_level_domain you only risk getting spam if it is posted, (virus if you use that Other OS)
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So, what you would want to do is make up a persona. Name, DOB, address, phone number, job, etc, etc. All of the facts need to appear legitimate at surface review. Pick something that isn't obviously wrong. Like, don't say you're the lead researcher at an outpost in the Antarctic. If you, say were to be in the New York metro area, and your addresses is a drop box in Manhattan, that's more reasonable. 18.8 million people live in the NYC metro area. Be careful though, use a metro area tha
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Poster's real name: John Smith
Mine fits... (Score:2)
"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. :(
Re:"Sexy". (Score:4, Funny)
Re:"Sexy". (Score:4, Funny)
...says the guy whose username starts with "Mrs" and ends with "Guido"?
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looks like 'mrs q: uid(user ID) 0' to me.
Extraversion where? (Score:5, Interesting)
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).
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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?
Missing the point (Score:2)
They tested for normal extroversion. However, extroversion on the Internet - where the email name is most relevant - and extroversion in real space is not necessarily the same.
In other news... another irrelevant study! (Score:3, Insightful)
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".
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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."
Everyone thinks I'm gay when they see my email (Score:2)
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It being NZ, I suspect it has something to do with sheep, no?
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Don't worry, it has a different meaning [coldfront.net] here [kingdomofloathing.com], too.
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
When reading this... (Score:4, Funny)
...one question comes to mind: Is psychology really a science?
Not since Milgram's death. (Score:2)
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Well... that depends on how you look at the matter.
http://xkcd.com/435/ [xkcd.com]
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There, fixed that for you. And seeing as how James is generally credited for establishing [wikipedia.org] the field of psychology in America, I think he can be forgiven for limiting himself to some cautious optimism.
Hmmm... (Score:2)
Your address DOES say a lot (Score:5, Interesting)
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.
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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...
Re:Your address DOES say a lot (Score:4, Funny)
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.
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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
why don't you email him (Score:5, Insightful)
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he's clearly busy working...
That's funny (Score:2)
But the first thing I thought when I saw "honey.bunny77@hotmail.de" was that it was a spam address.
How to choose a roommate by their email address (Score:3, Funny)
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.
Re:How to choose a roommate by their email address (Score:4, Funny)
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...
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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.
Re:How to choose a roommate by their email address (Score:4, Interesting)
(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
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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
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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.
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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.
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So I guess this means (Score:5, Funny)
that if you have multiple email addresses you have multiple personalities?
Re:multiple emails = ? (Score:2)
They're Shards.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083791/ [imdb.com]
The Dark Crystal (1982)
meh (Score:4, Interesting)
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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-
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Tea leaves are more reliable... (Score:2)
at least you get to have a cup of tea with someone and chat before you "read the leaves".
Chair alert (Score:5, Funny)
Email Evolution (Score:2)
.
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.
Email harvesters, (Score:2)
come get your emailadresses here!
"My email is notsobright@spamheaven.com, what does that say about me?"
easy! (Score:5, Funny)
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> or @riaa.org you're most likely a criminal.
Or a perfect target for "powdered remedy" spam.
Re:easy! (Score:5, Funny)
If you're email address contains the words "anonymous" and/or "coward", you're apparently either an anal-retentive grammar nazi, or you like to pick apart people's jokes until they're not funny anymore,...
What does mine say... (Score:2)
Re:What does mine say... (Score:4, Funny)
Mac user.
Please: spelled extroverted / extroversion (Score:2)
Inferring Personality From Useless Studies (Score:3, Funny)
"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
What about mine? (Score:2)
Mine begins ciscogod@ ....
Serious email addresses... (Score:3, Interesting)
...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.
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Elemental, Watson (Score:2)
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
That's why I use my fullname and SSN... (Score:5, Funny)
Email Address as a First Impression (Score:2, Insightful)
Well... (Score:3, Funny)
We all can't be ladiesman217.... :)
my email (Score:2)
bubbaforjesus2010@bringontherapture.com [mailto]
you aint gettin nuthin from my intertube address geeks!
600 from how many billion emailrs? (Score:3, Insightful)
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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It reads "aspergers" loud and clear, dude.
Every action a person takes comes from their mind. (Score:5, Interesting)
My personal email address is 5@.. and I chose it because I'd never change it, because it *doesn't mean anything.* I'm not five years old, my birthday lacks a five in it anywhere, it's not in my driver's license number, my name isn't five letters.. It doesn't mean anything, and that's why it works.
Dude, everything means something. "5@" is loaded with information.
1. Who the heck gets an email like that? Either a very early adopter, a supporter of a very small ISP or somebody with access to a unique webhost. If you're using one of the giant internet providers, you are tech-savvy enough to know how to tinker with email identifications. Many companies and institutions which have their own email host require employees to conform to email naming standards, so either you didn't acquire that email name through work, you're a guy who buys his own web hosting or works high enough up some sort of chain to be able to do goofy stuff without comment from superiors. The common factors one or both of the following deductions: You're a guy who knows his way around a computer thank-you-very-much or you hold an important (but not too-important, or you wouldn't have such a weird email address) position of some kind. That takes care of the broad guess information. The personality reading is much tighter.
2. You're a guy who doesn't want to advertise silly nonsense in an email name. This doesn't mean you can't be an anime geek, but it does mean you're aware enough to know that such an email name is kind of silly, and you don't want to come across that way. Whatever the case, a name which gives away nothing is consciously chosen for that reason. This suggests you are a cautious person with some pretty good brains, which tells me a lot about how you can be expected to handle yourself in any number of scenarios. Any confidence you have in social situations probably comes from a studied investment of will power rather than a naturally bubbly charisma. This gives me the general locations of a ton of probable fear, anger and happy buttons I could poke around for if I wanted to manipulate you. --Don't worry. I don't do that! :)
3. It's possible that you are also one of those guys who has a no-nonsense somewhat self-important and conservative (though not necessarily in the political sense) attitude who spends a fair bit of energy devoted to sighing heavily at people who ARE silly and thoughtless.
One might be tempted to ask, "Why 5 and not some other number?", but that's too squishy an area to really tread in. Though one might note that had you picked a "1" it would suggest some outward self-importance which you either couldn't embrace or chose not to for some reason. 3 and 7 are 'magic/biblical' numbers, whereas 5 suggests balance and digital thinking. But like I said, that whole area is a bit too squishy for my liking.
In any case, that's all just from a number "5". I know what you're not, and that gives me a ton of profile to work with. I could be wrong about all of it, of course, but those patterns do jump to mind first.
-FL