- Communication skills. All psychologists should be innately good communicators but social psychologist should be the best of them all. They have to be able to communicate to their clients ways to help them improve their social interactions and relationships.
- Open-mindedness. You have to be able to communicate and help people of different culture and backgrounds than yourself. Having an open mind and being willing to accept people who think differently than you is one of the most important qualities of a social psychologist
- Detachment. You have to be able to leave work baggage at the office. People have some pretty hard lives but you have to be able to help them work through their problems without being empathetic and taking their problems as your own.
- Research skills. Social psychologists have to enjoy and be well-versed in current psychological research. They also should have their own research ongoing so they can stay relevant in the field. A benefit of an undergraduate psychology program, such as the University of West Florida's Psychology department, is the overwhelming quantity of research opportunities offered by faculty.
- Presentation skills. Social scientists must be great presenters so as to display their findings in an appealing way. Knowing how to effectively present research is an important trait for you to have.