Facebook knows you better than your members of your own family

Cambridge University researchers have developed software based on Facebook 'likes' which can predict human personality types better than close family members.

Computers can determine your personality better than friends, just by analysing the posts you have 'liked' on Facebook, a Cambridge University study has shown.

Now researchers, by analysing self-reported personality scores for what are known as the "big five" psychological traits - openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism- have created an algorithm which can accurately predict personalities simply based on Facebook interactions.

And, surprisingly, it knows your character better than your close friends.

The team found that their software was able to predict a study participant's personality more accurately than a work colleague by analysing just 10 'Likes'.

Inputting 70 'Likes' allowed it to obtain a truer picture of someone's character than a friend or room-mate, while 150 'Likes' outperformed a parent, sibling or partners. It took 300 'Likes' before the programme was able to judge character better than a spouse.