Research Shows Men Who Post Selfies May Have Psychological Issues

If you are a man who takes and shares a lot of selfies in your life, you could be a psychopath according to a study surveying the social media habits of 800 men. 

With results ranging from obvious to alarming, those who took selfies and also spent time editing the photos have strong narcissistic tendencies, whereas those who didn't showed 'above average psychopathy.'

"It's not surprising that men who post a lot of selfies spend more time editing them are more narcissistic, but this is the first time it has actually been confirmed in a study," lead author Jesse Fox commented.

But do not take every self-portraited man as a potential American Psycho, as these levels of psychopathy, self-objectification and narcissism were all within regular levels. As Fox explains, this isn't a bad thing, especially if you're intending to pull on Tinder with that most recent selfie you just took.

This lack of filtering and impulsivity in SNS [social networking sites] posting may benefit some psychopathic men, however. One study found that male users who had SNS posts that alluded to excessive drinking and promiscuous behaviour were perceived as more attractive than male users with posts identifying them as ''the life of the party'' (Walther, Van Der Heide, Kim, Westerman, & Tong, 2008).Thus, when psychopathic men appear reckless or impulsive on SNSs, it may actually help attract mates.

The creation of a digital self-representation has not only become crucial, but a regular part of living in our society nowadays. It's a reflection on who we are as a person that can be manipulated at every step of the way. How we do this gives a good insight into our personalities. As Fox explains, "we are all concerned with our self-presentation online, but how we do that may reveal something about our personality."