Anyone can take selfies, but apparently if you’re a man, taking selfies could actually be a sign of psychopathy. This is according to a recent study conducted by The Ohio State University in which it was revealed that men who post a lot of selfies score higher on measures of narcissism and psychopathy.The study involved the surveying of the social media habits of about 800 men. According to Jesse Fox, the lead author of the study and assistant professor of communication at The Ohio State University, “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 it has actually been confirmed in a study. The more interesting finding is that they also score higher on this other anti-social personality trait, psychopathy, and are more prone to self-objectification.”
However Fox is quick to point out that this does not mean that all men who take and post selfies are necessarily narcissists or psychopaths. The study actually found that the men who participated all scored within the normal range of behavior, but had higher than average levels of both narcissism and psychopathy.
So what about women? Do the same traits apply to women who take selfies and post them online? Well according to Fox, the preliminary answer is yes. She stated that she is currently conducting a similar study on women and based on what she has found so far, it would suggest that women who take selfies exhibit the same traits as well, although in the case of women, self-objectification plays a larger role.
It’s an interesting study that shows how our personality traits could influence how we present ourselves online. What do you guys make of it?
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