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People Who Post A Bunch Of Selfies Are More Likely To Be Narcissists, According To New Study

We all know that one person who posts selfies all the time (isn’t there some magical 1:8 selfie-to-other-pictures ratio?) or floods their stories with pictures of themselves using just about every filter. Heck, maybe you’re that person—and is it really so bad?

Selfies, after all, are a way of documenting one’s life. They’re a celebration of self. And they’re a favorite in the all-mysterious algorithm (no, it’s not just you; selfies perform better for everyone). But apparently, they also indicate narcissism. 

A new study found that people who posted pictures of themselves were associated with an “increase in narcissism,” according to Science Daily. 

In the study, published in The Open Psychology Journal, researchers from Swansea University and Milan University examined the actual personality changes of 74 people aged 18 to 34. Guess what happened over a four-month period?

“Those who used social media excessively, through visual postings, displayed an average 25% increase in such narcissistic traits over the four months of the study.” 

Researchers monitored and assessed the participants’ social media use during the period to determine their findings, which suggested some of the people in the study were prime candidates for Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Interestingly, the study found that people who used Twitter for verbal sharing weren’t narcissistic. 

The results showed that narcissists were both drawn to social media and became narcissistic simply by using it. 

Professor Roberto Truzoli from Milan University put it pretty damn clearly: “The use of visual social media may emphasize the perception of narcissistic individuals that they are the main focus of attention…and to…present themselves in a grandiose manner, and realise fantasies of omnipotence.”  The thing is, none of this is new information. Every few years studies show the same thing and people still continue to take selfies.

Here’s what people (er, the haters) had to say about the link between selfies and narcissism. 

Even Antonio Banderas has something to say about selfies, who is so beautiful it’s almost ironic that this is coming out of his mouth:

Why can’t people just make and share memories and moments?

Hey people, it’s a brave new world.

Selfies have officially also become totally political:

But honestly, you do you. Who cares?

More interesting studies:

Leigh MB