How many times in life must we engage in self-description? Let us count the ways: There\u2019s the anxiety of college applications. The ignominy of Match.com dating. The embroidery of a C.V. sent to prospective employers. And, of course, there is Facebook.<\/p>\n
The profile page of every Facebook acolyte has an enticing little Info tab, presenting the opportunity to demonstrate wit or wisdom, bravado or timidity, personal agenda or professional bona fides. A few categories are suggested by default \u201d\u201d Likes and Dislikes, Favorite Quotations \u201d\u201d but there\u2019s a big yawning hole in the section labeled Bio. There\u2019s no pull-down menu: the format is fill in the blank, every man for himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s unnerving to sum yourself up and convey your personality,\u201d\u009d said Gretchen Rubin, a former lawyer in New York and author of \u201cThe Happiness Project,\u201d\u009d who opted for tongue-in-cheek: Red-haired, left-handed, legally blind, massive consumer of Diet Coke.<\/p>\n