- It's not so hard to make someone dislike you, whether you're interacting online or in real life.
- If you share something overly personal too soon or hide your emotions, for example, you may unwittingly repel people.
- Even the smell of your sweat or a hard-to-pronounce last name — things that are out of your control — can be turn-offs.
Generally speaking, you've only got a few seconds to make someone want to spend more time with you.
And in those precious few seconds, everything matters — from your last name to the smell of your sweat (unfair and gross, we know).
Below, Business Insider rounded up various scientific findings on the traits and behaviors that make people dislike you, both online and in person.
SEE ALSO: 16 psychological tricks to make people like you immediately
Sharing too many photos on Facebook
If you're the kind of person who shares snapshots of your honeymoon, cousin's graduation, and dog dressed in a Halloween costume all in the same day, you might want to stop.
A 2013 study found that posting too many photos on Facebook can hurt your real-life relationships.
"This is because people, other than very close friends and relatives, don't seem to relate well to those who constantly share photos of themselves," lead study author David Houghton, of Birmingham Business School, said in a release.
Specifically, friends don't like it when you've got too many photos of family, and relatives don't like it when you've got too many photos of friends.
Ben Marder, of the University of Edinburgh, also worked on the study, and warned: "Be cautious when sharing and think how it will be perceived by all the others who may see it. Although sharing is a great way to better relationships, it can also damage them."
Having too many, or too few, Facebook friends
In a 2008 study, Michigan State University researchers asked college students to look at fictional Facebook profiles and decide how much they liked the profiles' owners.
Results showed that the "sweet spot" for likability was about 300 friends. Likability ratings were lowest when a profile owner had only about 100 friends, and almost as low when they had more than 300 friends.
As for why 300-plus friends could be a turn-off, the study authors write, "Individuals with too many friends may appear to be focusing too much on Facebook, friending out of desperation rather than popularity."
On the other hand, the college students doing the evaluation each had about 300 Facebook friends themselves. So the researchers acknowledge that in a population where the most common number of Facebook friends is 1,000, the sweet spot for likability could be 1,000.
Keep in mind, though, that a 2014 survey found that the average number of Facebook friends among adult users was 338.
Interestingly, the study also suggested that participants weren't consciously aware that they liked people less when they had too many or too few Facebook friends.
Disclosing something extremely personal early on in a relationship
In general, people like each other more after they've traded confidences. Self-disclosure is one of the best ways to make friends as an adult.
But psychologists say that disclosing something too intimate— say, that your sister is having an extramarital affair — while you're still getting to know someone can make you seem insecure and decrease your likability.
The key is to get just the right amount of personal. As a 2013 study led by Susan Sprecher at Illinois State University suggests, simply sharing details about your hobbies and your favorite childhood memories can make you seem warmer and more likable.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider