A new study suggests that there is a correlation between frequent posting of "selfies" on social media and narcissism, of which also correlates to other potential personality problems.
Jesse Fox, assistant professor of communications at Ohio State University, co-authored a study of called “The Dark Triad”, which showed that narcissistic and psychopathic personality traits could predict how often an individual will post self-taken portraits to social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, and also how often the posters will edit the pictures to tweak how they look.
The "Dark Triad" referred to in the study, narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy, are three personality traits that tend to go hand-in-hand-in-hand. However, while the internet has allowed narcissists to show themselves off online, a little-self promotion can be a good thing amongst more reclusive people. Julie Hanks, owner and executive director of Wasatch Family Therapy in Salt Lake City, explains: “In the past, we sought attention from people in our circle. Now we can seek approval from strangers and there’s more opportunity for narcissists to seek attention and validation. But, people who are empathetic in real life will be more likely to show more online too.”
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