According to a new study, Facebook can encourage narcissism. A study conducted by the University of Florida asked 400 Facebook users, aged between 18 and 50, to rate if they were attractive, cool or glamorous in their profile pictures. Lead researcher Dr Tracy Alloway said the profile picture was the most tangible aspect of a users online self-presentation, making it a touchstone for narcissists seeking to draw attention to themselves. Narcissistic individuals have an exaggerated view of their attractiveness and want to share it with the world. Every narcissist needs a reflecting pool. Just as Narcissus gazed into the pool to admire his beauty, social networking sites, like Facebook, have become our modern-day pool. More women rated their profile pictures as physically attractive, glamorous and cool. Women also changed their profile pictures more often than men, updating their photo every two months compared to every three months for men. Alloway said: If women receive more compliments on their profile pictures, then updating the profile picture would give them more opportunities to receive positive reinforcement for their online self-presentation. Durban clinical psychologist, Dr Cathrin Venter, said the link between a flattering profile picture and narcissism was: No one is going to put up a bad picture of themselves on Facebook or say they looked bad in the online photo because most users want to put their best foot forward, even if it is online. That is not narcissism . An in-depth study in 2010 of Canadian students found Facebook was a popular means for narcissists to promote themselves. The students who scored higher on the narcissism test logged on to their Facebook page more often than those who did not. Researchers concluded that users who spend more time updating their profile on Facebook were more likely to be narcissists. Share your views with us @timeslive on Facebook
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 05:49:24 +0000
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