According to a recent study, posting a lot of selfies on social media may make you a narcissist!
The study, published in the Open Psychology Journal, surveyed 74 people, aged 18 to 34, over a four-month period. During the same period, researchers from Swansea University in the UK and the University of Milan in Italy assessed the participants' use of social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.
Narcissism is a personality trait that can include grandiose display and beliefs about exploiting others.
Participants in the study who used social media excessively, through posts that included their own photos, showed a 25% increase in narcissistic behavior. This increase led the researchers to classify many participants as having narcissistic personality disorder. People who were classified in this category used Facebook and Instagram more. In contrast, those who used Twitter more did not display this type of behavior. This seems logical, since on Twitter users are more focused on the part of debate and publishing personal opinions.
Based on the research conducted, it was found that people who use Facebook and Instagram to constantly publish virtual content tend to increase their chances of becoming narcissists.
In summary, the researchers stated that today most young people are at risk, as they spend most of their day on social media and post more photos of themselves because they feel the need to attract the attention of others and stand out in this way.
The most important thing is the mobilization of everyone, proper communication between adults and young people, and the recognition of the risks of this specific use of social media, in order to reduce the problem of the development of narcissistic behavior.
