This is the conclusion of the latest study carried out by a team of researchers from Ohio State University (USA) and published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences . The work puts on the table the effects it has for men, the trend so in vogue, of publishing a large number of selfies on social networks as well known as Facebook and Instagram.
For their experiment, they enlisted 800 men between the ages of 18 and 40 who completed an online survey about their behavior with photographs on the most massive social media (for example, how often they posted selfies and if they edited the photos before uploading them or if they used filters). They also did the same with standard questionnaires on antisocial behavior and individual perception.
The results of the study showed that posting more selfie photos was associated with higher levels of narcissism and psychopathy (an antisocial personality disorder). Therefore, men who post many selfies think they are smarter, more attractive and better than others (narcissists), they show a lack of empathy and respect for others and a tendency towards impulsive behavior. This does not mean, as the authors explain, that all men who post a lot of selfies are necessarily narcissistic or antisocial.
In addition, if the photos were edited before being published, the levels of narcissism skyrocketed in the study volunteers. “It’s not surprising that men who post a lot of selfies and spend more time editing them are more narcissistic, but this is the first time this has actually been confirmed in a study, ” explains Jesse Fox, study leader.
” We are all concerned about our image on the Internet , but the way in which we act on it can reveal something about our personality”, clarifies the researcher. Perhaps, after reading the article, you do not take so many photos with your smartphone or your sports camera in summer.
