Each week we’re asking a psychologist to analyse a different type of profile pic and tell us what it really means…

This picture is giving a subtle, yet mixed message.  The first thing you take in is that it is a lovely image of beautiful Venice, which of course is generally considered as one of, if not the most, romantic city in the world, which for many viewers of the image is where their perception of it will stop.

Yet, if you consider the picture for a moment or two longer you can detect an element of vastness and emptiness about it too.  Perhaps the person that has posted this is trying to subtly convey their deeper feelings about being there.  It may be that they are in Venice with someone very special, but is there something not quite right, or more likely, something missing within their relationship?  Or it could be that the person who has uploaded this image is in Venice as a singleton and their, again subtle, message to those who view it is ‘Look I’m here in the world’s most romantic city and I’m just gently letting you know about an area of my life where I feel an emptiness and longing.’  It’s a very powerful and telling image, which needs just more than a brief glance to understand what may lay behind it.