French fries: Sign of a high IQ?

Looking for a sign of high intelligence? Perhaps you should look to a person’s fondness of curly fries.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge sought to uncover personal traits of individuals by using only data they gathered on the participants’ Facebook Likes. One of the findings includes a correlation between a high IQ and the curly version of French fries.

The study analyzed Facebook Likes of over 58,000 people and used the data to predict a range of traits including IQ, gender, religion, and sexual orientation among other characteristics. The results helped represent how a person’s digital record can lead to the revealing of personal information, even if that info has not been previously disclosed.

The analysis found the greatest success in identifying a person’s race and gender when their Facebook Likes were compared. This suggests that digital trends, in this case Likes, differ so much between the various groups that correctly classifying a person in these categories is nearly perfect.

“African Americans and Caucasian Americans were correctly classified in 95% of cases, and males and females were correctly classified in 93% of cases,” the study reads.

While certain Likes relate directly to a particular trait, such as the No H8 Campaign to homosexuality, other relations appear to be more coincidental. This accounts for the high level of curly fry Likes by those with a high IQ.

Among the least predictable measures is whether a person’s parents were together at age 21. Although, this still had a 60% success rate at correctly identifying.

The findings contribute to the growing trend of digital psychology and the role it can play in online marketing. Marketers are constantly seeking new ways to reach target audiences and engage with potential (or existing) customers. Data, such as that presented in the University of Cambridge study, show the relative simplicity in classifying individuals based solely on their digital footprint. This can lead to both positive and negative outcomes for individuals.

Predicting attributes can allow for website experiences that are more fitted or optimized to the user. Additionally, the advertising method of a product can be adjusted to appeal better to people with different character traits. However, this could lead to the compromise of personal information that an individual might not want to disclose. This disclosure could put a person at risk for harm or even death.

Analytic tracking is built into most websites we use every day, allowing companies and governments the ability to glimpse into our personal lives. While this can carry some benefits, there is also room for great harm. Users must maintain a strong awareness of their online decisions, even if they are simply admitting their love of curly fries.

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