Early adopters scored highly on certain personality traits, according to a recent Nielsen Online and Mindset Media study.
From the Mercury News:
“The study scored people on a scale of 1 to 5 on 20 self-identified personality traits, with 1 being the least amount of a specific trait or ‘mindset’ and 5 being the highest.
It found that people who scored a 5 on ‘leadership’ were 68 percent more likely to have purchased three or more computers in the past two years. Those who scored highest on ‘dynamism’ (people who thrive on being where the action is) are 58 percent more likely to have purchased three or more flat-screen televisions in the past two years. Highly assertive people (‘They know what they want and go after it with purpose’) are 62 percent more likely to purchase a new cellphone when the latest and greatest model hits the streets.”
Surprisingly, the numbers didn’t necessarily correlate with high salaries. According to Sarah Welch, Mindset’s COO and co-founder: “The only trait that has a slight correlation with income is assertiveness.”
The early adopters were also found to be more arrogant, a trait I imagine quickly diminishes when they realize their blazing-fresh iPhone is being replaced by a newer, cheaper model.