Want to know more about a person? Check their Facebook instead of meeting

Facebook provides a different set of markers that allow us to make judgements about people online

We judge people all the time. Research shows that when we first meet someone, we instantly use features such as their attractiveness and facial expressions to form an opinion about how approachable and trustworthy they are.

But what about when our first impression of someone is formed online, for example by looking at a Facebook page or an online dating profile? In these instances, we’re looking at a specially curated set of information about a person that only shows us what they want us to see. And yet a number of studies suggest that these