Guys Who Post Lots Of Selfies More Likely To Be Psychopaths, Researchers Say


Guys who post lots of selfies might be highly attractive, but apparently, looks can be quite deceiving. According to a new study, guys who post lots of selfies may be much more flawed than they appear. On Instagram, there are thousands of bodybuilders who showcase their assets daily. While they may be considered delectable eye-candy, researchers argue that guys who show a heightened interest in selfies may have personality traits many women would find quite disturbing. The study has confirmed that selfie-loving men are more likely to be psychopaths.

The research project conducted by Ohio State University surveyed a total of 800 men between the ages of 18 and 40. Although the results don’t necessarily mean the guys are psychopaths, researchers suggest that they have a higher chance of being narcissistic with a higher possibility of psychopathy.

For those who don’t know the characteristics of a narcissistic man, he may feel he is more attractive, smarter, and much more talented and successful than his counterparts. Jesse Fox, lead author of the study and assistant professor at the university, recently shared details about the findings on the OSU website. Although the findings aren’t very surprising, what is surprising is that the guys who spend so much time perfecting selfies for social media are, in fact, quite different — anti-social. Fox went on to reveal a number of interesting details about selfie-loving “socially, anti-social” men.

“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.”

The study goes on to break down the distinct similarities in personality traits associated with psychopathy and narcissism. Bustle refers to “selfie-taking” as a “double-edged sword” that may contribute to the growing epidemic of narcissism, which triggers characteristics of psychopathy. While men who posted lots of lots of selfies had a higher possibility of having narcissistic and psychopathic traits, psychopathy would not focus on perfecting photos by editing and adding filters.

Editing and perfecting photos is closely related to narcissism and self-objectification. Researchers also shared details about the association between self-objectification, psychopathy, and narcissism. Fox touched on a common misconception about such habits, as most people would assume only women would do such things.

“Most people don’t think that men even do that sort of thing, but they definitely do… That makes sense because psychopathy is characterized by impulsivity. They are going to snap the photos and put them online right away. They want to see themselves. They don’t want to spend time editing.”

“We know that self-objectification leads to a lot of terrible things, like depression and eating disorders in women. With the growing use of social networks, everyone is more concerned with their appearance. That means self-objectification may become a bigger problem for men, as well as for women.”

Although Fox has concluded the research project in reference to guys who post selfies, she is planning to conduct a new study on selfies from a different perspective. According to USA Today, Fox plans to research the a self-reinforcing cycle that encourages social media users to post more selfies.

Do you agree with the new study about guys who post lots of selfies? Share your thoughts.

[Image via MTV]

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