These are the 10 traits that will get you far in life

Interactions between people can be a complicated thing that isn't for everyone. While there are traits that will make people like you, there are also traits that will make people reject you and will leave a bad impression.

Don't overshare

Being honest, open, and talking about yourself confidently are some of the best ways to make friends, and sharing secrets can help strengthen relationships. But if you're too open and start to share things that are very personal from the beginning of a relationship, it can affect how much people like and accept you, and it can make them feel threatened and uncomfortable.

The good balance is between knowing boundaries when you share personal information, and perhaps it's enough to begin with talking about hobbies and favorite childhood memories.

Have a strong handshake

A study by the University of Alabama found that people can predict students' personalities from the way they shake hands. Those with a strong handshake were more positive and less socially anxious. Another study that was published in the Journal of Applied Psychology reported that those with strong handshakes at the beginning of job interviews had a higher chance of getting the job.

Don't do 'modest bragging'

Some people use a special method to gain other people's admiration and that's talking about themselves negatively and criticizing themselves instead of bragging. This behavior is nicknamed "modest bragging", and it causes a negative reaction among others, according to a study by Harvard's business school.

The study's participants were asked to write down their weaknesses the same way they described them in job interviews, and the results showed that more than three-quarters of the participants wrote weaknesses that they were modestly proud of like perfectionism or "working too hard". In the end, people who spoke about themselves honestly and wrote things like "sometimes I react too strongly to situations" impressed the employers more and had a higher chance of getting the job.

Don't just ask questions, be the one to share too

A study that was conducted by a professor at Illinois State University warned against trying to get to know people by asking a lot of questions without disclosing information yourself. She emphasized that talking about oneself has to be mutual. If one person talks about themself, it's expected that the other person also share.

Express your feelings

Sharing your emotions with others can strengthen relationships and human connection, and this is one of the best strategies to get people to like you as opposed to people who hide how their feelings. In a University of Oregon study, researchers checked how people reacted to videos of touching scenes in which some people were hiding their emotions and others were expressing them openly. 

The results showed that the participants judged those who held back their emotions as less accepting and open than the people who were open about how they felt. The researchers wrote that people look for other people who share their emotions, so when they saw someone who was suppressing their feelings, they interpreted it as unaffected and uninterested in the feelings of others.

Don't be too friendly

Some people think that the nicer they are, the more likable they are. A study that was published in Science Daily found that over-friendliness for no clear reason can make others think you have ulterior motives. Extreme niceness raises expectations among other people, and therefore, they feel that the person's behavior makes them look bad in comparison.

Don't forget to smile

It's hard to keep up a smile all through a social event, but at the beginning of an interaction with people you don't know, your smile affects their impression of you and their will to communicate with you. Researchers from Stanford discovered that students who interacted with each other online had a more positive feeling toward the people who smiled a lot in their photos.

Don't overshare on social media

Oversharing photos on social media can often cause others to dislike your presence online and in person. A study from the University of Birmingham found that oversharing on Facebook can harm your relationships in real life.

Show affection

Psychologists talk about a phenomenon called mutual affection where if people think that someone like them, they tend to like them back. Researchers discovered that when we sense a closeness from someone, we behave more warmly toward them, raising the chances that they will like us back.

Keep the boasting to a minimum

It may be tempting to mention the name of a celebrity who studied at the same university as you in order to impress someone you're talking to, but that can be harmful. A study from Zurich University pointed to the fact that mentioning celebrity names like that makes people look less attractive and effective.