In a recent publication in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, a team of researchers from Brunel University in London argue that Facebook members' posts contain indicators of their personality traits.
What this means is that by examining what someone has posted on Facebook, it's quite easy to discover how it works in their offline life, according to experts.
Researchers from Brunel University conducted an online survey involving a total of 555 users of the social networking site.
The research focused on identifying five basic personality traits, namely extraversion, neuroticism, openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness.
It was revealed that, compared to other people, narcissists have a habit of using Facebook to talk about their diet and exercise. They do this to let others know that they care about their physical appearance.
Furthermore, experts report, according to their research, that narcissists also share information about everything they manage to do. Their posts can almost never be ignored, since they always attract attention.
As for people with low self-esteem, the Brunel University team says they are more likely to post about their partner. Those who are conscientious, on the other hand, tend to write about their children.
Psychology lecturer Tara Marshall points out that, even if narcissists have more likes and comments than other Facebook users, they are not necessarily the ones with the most friends.
The attention they receive is sure to make them feel better about themselves and give them a sense of belonging and social inclusion.
"Although our results show that narcissists seek to receive more likes and comments on their posts, it could be that their Facebook friends are politely offering them support while secretly disliking them," said Tara Marshall.
