Study suggests link between word choices and extraverts

A study by a team of NTU Singapore psychologists has found a link between extraverts and their word choices. The finding highlights the need for stronger linguistic indicators to be developed for use in online personality prediction tools, which are being rapidly adopted by companies to improve digital marketing strategies. Today, marketing companies use predictive algorithms to help them forecast what consumers want based on their online behaviours. Companies are also keen to leverage data and machine learning to understand the psychological aspects of consumer behaviour, which cannot be observed directly but can provide valuable insights about how to improve targeted advertising. However, personality prediction tools available today that are used by marketing firms are not entirely accurate due to a lack of theoretically sound designs. The study found a correlation between extraverts and their tendency to use certain categories of words. The results showed a small strength of the relationship between extraversion and the use of “positive emotion words” and “social process words.”