SMS habits reveal your personality

Another sms related study has hit the streets. Dr James Phillips and Sarah Butt, both from Australia’s Monash University’s department of psychology, want to ask people how they use their mobile phones and whether personality influences the way they use them. The research looks into the overall usage of mobile phones and ours is the only study to look into the psychological preferences of communication.
Butt said their study would look at five personality traits and their potential impact on phone use – extroversion, neuroticism, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness.

I believe the study will show that young people are more likely to use their phones for fun, rather than practical reasons and that extroverts are more likely to ring while introverts are more likely to send text messages,

she said.
Dr. Sarah Butt also suspects that people who are more open to experience, or are more curious in general, will embrace new technology, more so than other phone users. She also added that it will be interesting to see whether self-esteem is a factor in how people use their mobile phones or in how they perceive the kinds of calls they receive. Thus, Butt said the study would provide an understanding of the role personality played in determining people's communication choices.
She said a study conducted in Switzerland last year found that people who prefer to SMS were more lonely and had a smaller social group than those who prefer to talk on their phones.

I believe those who SMS would be more inclined to be introverts as the SMS system gives them time to think about what and how they want to communicate,

said Butt.

Replying to the study will take only 30 minutes and we hope to survey 200 people, aged 18 and above, who own mobile phones,

she said.
Butt also said that while the focus is on people in their 20s, the study will also look at older adults.
P.s. If you are interested in taking part you can e-mail the two researchers at sarah.butt@med.monash.edu.au.