Social Magnetism

This is really funny, it is awfully lengthy but worth the time if you have it:

:)


"THE WILLS" HAVE IT... AS DO DREW BARRYMORE, MADONNA, JULIA ROBERTS AND KELLY RIPA
~Among Celebrities, Men Named William Are the Biggest Social Magnets, According to Study~
NEW YORK, July 2005 — Men named William — Will Farrell, Will Smith and Bill Clinton — were identified as the biggest social magnets among male celebrities, while Madonna, Drew Barrymore, Julia Roberts and Kelly Ripa are the most magnetic among female stars, according to the Social Magnetism Study released today.

Respondents were asked to identify the celebrity who would most likely to be the center of attention in a group at a cocktail party. The stars were chosen among the fields of business, politics, music and entertainment. Among male celebrities:

Will Farrell dominated the conversation among Colin Farrell, George Clooney and Matthew McConaughey
Will Smith was the center of attention within a group including Jamie Fox, Bono, Mick Jagger and Regis Philbin
Bill Clinton outpolled fellow pols Arnold Schwarzenegger and George W. Bush and business titans Donald Trump and Bill Gates
Among female celebrities:

Drew Barrymore led the discussion among Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Hudson and Britney Spears
Madonna drew more attention than Jennifer Garner, Jennifer Lopez and Cameron Diaz
Kelly Ripa and Julia Roberts tied among the group of pretty women including Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry and Hillary Clinton.
The Tanqueray Social Magnetism Study investigated the attributes that make people gravitate to one person over another. It found that having a sense of humor, the ability to fit into many different social groups, and wit are the top three attributes of social magnetism. Conducted by Professor John Czepiel ["CHEP-yell"] of New York University (NYU) Stern School of Business, the survey of more than 1,000 men and women ages 21+ also revealed that intelligence and having a "refreshing sharp perspective" were key to being a social magnet.

"Will Farrell, Will Smith and Bill Clinton certainly are three celebrities who effectively use humor and have the ability to fit in with many different groups of people," said John Czepiel, Professor of Marketing, NYU Stern School of Business.

The survey found that social magnetism — that unique quality that makes someone a person who others want to be around, get advice from and have in their circle of friends — is not contingent on being technologically savvy, into sports or wealthy. Rather, the ability of a person to make others feel comfortable, valued and entertained is far more important, according to respondents. In fact, the characteristics least essential to social magnetism are wealth, being good at sports, having graduated from the "right school" and having the latest technology.

"We commissioned this study to learn what it is about the Tanqueray consumer that makes them so unique," said Jennifer Van Ness, Vice President of Gins, Diageo NA. "What we found is that they are individuals who really embody the essence of Tanqueray with their refreshingly sharp perspective, sense of humor, ability to mingle in any crowd, and most importantly, by drinking in moderation."

Height of Popularity
When respondents provided their ratings about elements of social magnetism, participants under-estimated the role that being tall plays. For instance, when asked about the importance of height, respondents said it was not strongly associated with social magnetism. However, when people were asked to describe someone they considered a social magnet, many indeed were tall.

Money and Looks
Wealth seemed to be more important to women in the survey than they realized. When asked about the importance of wealth, women didn't consider it a key trait of male social magnetism; however, when asked to name social magnets that they knew, most were wealthy. Conversely, for men, physical attractiveness seemed to be less important than they initially thought. Upon initial questioning, physical attractiveness was linked closely to female social magnetism, however, upon evaluating traits associated with known social magnets, physical attractiveness was less important than other characteristics.

A subset of MBA students at the Stern Business School were asked to identify the social magnet in their class. Not surprisingly, those individuals deemed a social magnet by their peers consider themselves to be extraverted and open to new experiences. They also noted that they themselves have quite good powers of intuition when it comes to understanding the emotions and motives of others, and have the ability to control the impression they give.

"Social magnetism is more than popularity," said Czepiel. "It is a complex series of factors that gives individuals an 'aura.' There is an element of openness and the ability to make people comfortable in a variety of situations that is essential to social magnetism; so it becomes less about the individual, and more about people's perception about how that individual can make them feel."

This study was conducted by Professor John Czepiel of New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business. There were 1,063 respondents, age 21 and over.