Addicted to selfies? This is what it says about you

While we generally associate a love for selfies with self-confidence and a fun attitude, findings of a new study suggest that the opposite could be true. Apparently, a love for selfies could be an indicator of serious underlying issues. PHOTO | FILE

What you need to know:

  • Experts also think that obsessively snapping photographs in different locations could be a sign of an individual in a troubled relationship.
  • The researchers observed that unsurprisingly, up to half of the study subjects spent most of their spare time on their mobile phones or on the internet. They also observed that the study subjects who were most lonely were the ones that took the most photographs of themselves.
  • Contrary to popular belief, the selfie-taking obsession is not an addiction but a symptom of body dysmorphia as well as anxiety, noting how selfie lovers obsess about themselves and give very little thought to the plight of others.

Taking selfies has become an integral part of our day-to-day lives. We take selfies right after we get up in the morning, when we are having our meals and even during bedtime. It is how we now live and share our lives.

While we generally associate a love for selfies with self-confidence and a fun attitude, findings of a new study suggest that the opposite could be true. Apparently, a love for selfies could be an indicator of serious underlying issues like loneliness and mental health problems. Experts also think that obsessively snapping photographs in different locations could be a sign of an individual in a troubled relationship.

For the study, researchers from the National Institute of Development Administration, in Bangkok, Thailand, looked into the habits and personalities of 300 study subjects. They also analysed how often the study subjects took photographs of themselves. All the study subjects were female and aged between 21 and 24.

The researchers wanted to see which ones exhibited signs of narcissism, attention-seeking, self-centered behaviour or loneliness.

The researchers observed that unsurprisingly, up to half of the study subjects spent most of their spare time on their mobile phones or on the internet. They also observed that the study subjects who were most lonely were the ones that took the most photographs of themselves.

The scientists reckon that a desire to get others to notice them may be what pushes lonely people to obsessively take selfies. Those with narcissistic tendencies on the other hand love taking selfies out of their love to control how others see them.

To explain these findings, Dr Peerayuth Charoensukmongkol the study lead says, “Not only do individuals who become obsessed with taking selfies tend to feel that their personal lives and psychological well-being are damaged, but they also feel that their relationship with others are impaired.”

Interestingly, the researchers noted that contrary to popular belief, the selfie-taking obsession is not an addiction but a symptom of body dysmorphia as well as anxiety, noting how selfie lovers obsess about themselves and give very little thought to the plight of others.

The only upside that the researchers found was that selfie-taking can allow individuals to improve their self-exposure.