(CNN) -- You may want to think twice the next time you click "like" on Facebook.
Have you ever “liked” Lord of the Rings or Thunderstorms on Facebook? If so, you may have a high IQ. That’s according to a new study from the University of Cambridge.
Researchers there say they can predict things like people’s gender, race and even smoking habits just from their Facebook “likes.”
The study combed through data from more than 58,000 Facebook users in the U.S. and likes were able to prove users’ race and gender 95 and 93 percent of the time.
Users’ sexual orientation and political leanings were identified 88 and 85 percent of the time.
Some of the links found seem a bit obvious, but others not so much. For example, if you like Covergirl, chances are you’re a woman and if you like the bible, you’re probably Christian.
But there are some that even the researchers say have no obvious connection, like the link between curly fires and high IQ. The study says Facebook likes are almost as informative as questions on personality tests.
With that type of information, predicting users’ preferences can easily be used to improve on products and services and while that’s great for marketers, it’s not so great for those worried about their privacy.
