A study links selfies to your personality

It is not the first time that we talk about selfies on our portal, since this phenomenon is very fashionable. The technological changes of the last decades, the culture of the image and the spectacle in which we live immersed and the emergence of networks like facebook or instagramhave allowed us to take self-photos at any time and publish them on digital media as soon as possible.

On television, in the newspapers or on the radio there are constant news about selfies, and several questions and answers have arisen about the obsessive behavior of some people, many times unfounded. And although this information is often not true, it is not surprising that there is an interest from psychology to learn more about this type of behavior.

In fact, a recent study affirms that selfies say a lot about our personality.

Is there a relationship between taking selfies and having a mental disorder?

before anything, it is necessary to clarify that the habit of taking selfies is not a mental disorder, therefore there is no scientific evidence to affirm it. However, there are certain emotional problems or psychological disorders that can be associated with the excessive use of selfies. For example, the

low self-esteem, body dysmorphic disorder, narcissism wave perfectionist personality.

A narcissistic person may take many selfies and post them on social media in search of constant approval. We all know a friend who likes to constantly look in the mirror, and selfies are a quick way to get approval on social networks and constantly expose your image. A narcissist can push selfie-taking behavior to the extreme, to pathological limits.

It could also happen that a perfectionist or person with body dysmorphic disorder takes many self-photos and repeats them constantly because they do not look good in any of them. Perfectionists have an obsession with achieving perfection in everything they do, and people with body dysmorphic disorder are never happy with their physical appearance. This It can cause them to spend hours taking photos until they achieve that excellent and impeccable image of themselveseven if it's unreal.

What is the trend for selfies?

But as I have already said, taking selfies does not have to be a serious problem, since it is nothing more than another phenomenon associated with the new technologies of information and image culture. Here both the advancement of new technologies come together, for example the possibility of having a camera on the smartphone, the emergence of social networks and the possibility of being connected all day and aware of the lives of the the rest. The values ​​of this society also play an important role, which rewards elements such as aesthetics or entertainment.

These changes produced in the last decades have changed the way we relate to each other, because by adding these factors we find ourselves before a phenomenon that leads us to the need to relate and project a good image of ourselves throught social media. That is why it is important that we know how to use this technology responsibly; since if we don't do it we can be on the verge of having problems of obsession or communication with other people: the real communication is in the street, in looking into the eyes of the interlocutor.

Having said this, we cannot deny that when someone has a deeper problem, for example an eating disorder, Body image, the excessive use of selfies and social networks can indicate that something is wrong with that person. person.

Selfitis does not exist: a lie that went viral

Selfitis, that is, the pathological obsession with taking selfies, and which, according to some media outlets, was recognized by the American Psychological Association (APA), does not really exist: it is an invented disorder, with no basis scientific. It was a lie that went viral on the internet, and taking selfies may mean absolutely nothing from a clinical point of view.

What happens is that selfies are posted on social networks, and the latter are important in the formation of the identity of the youngest. So you have to be careful how these behaviors affect adolescents, because this is a critical period in their development. Not taking it into account can have negative effects on your future psychological well-being. In extreme cases, selfies can be an indicator of emotional problems or body image disorders, for example, if you people are constantly uploading pictures of themselves to facebook or if they are taking selfies all day without stall.

Parents and schools should be aware of the importance of educating their children in the correct use of social networks

So it is important that parents (and also schools) care about educating their children to use new technologies correctly, because otherwise Western culture can cause emotional or behavioral problems. self-esteem.

But let's not dramatize either: someone occasionally taking a selfie is not a bad thing, it's just another phenomenon, which comes hand in hand with the immersion that we have all done in new technologies.

The best prevention is education

To prevent future emotional problems in young people and to develop a resilient personality that allows them to empower themselves in the face of life and to value themselves as they are without constantly showing a digital image that can be harmful to them, the key is the education.

We have already spoken about the disorders associated with new technologies on other occasions from Psychology and MindFor example, in our articles on the FOMO syndrome wave nomophobia. And we have already warned of the importance of re-educating the youngest in a society that turns us into objects and that can lead us to serious self-esteem problems if we do not reconnect with ourselves themselves. That is, if we don't go back to being conscious and emotionally intelligent people.

It is necessary to educate correctly in the use of new technologies, because they are an important part of the lives of the youngest. Through social networks, children and adolescents are related, compared and form their identity.

The world 2.0 transmits values

The 2.0 world can be a fictitious world but it is very appealing, and social networks are attractive because the youngest become protagonists.

Thanks to selfies they can be a kind of "star" in their little show business. Therefore, It is necessary to know that, as socializing agents that they are, social networks also transmit values. It is necessary that parents and teachers make the youngest understand the positive and negative consequences of its use.

The contribution of psychology to the use of social networks

For cases where a person compulsively takes selfies and there really is an underlying disorder, from psychology we propose certain treatments that can help the person identify the problem and be able to solve it.

These cases are usually characterized by low self-esteem, a deficit in social skills and a constant need for approval from others. Luckily, psychologists can treat these cases and solve them.

Personality and selfies: narcissistic and antisocial people make more use of selfies

recent research have focused on finding a relationship between personality and self-photos, and it seems that certain personality types are more likely to take selfies, at least so says a study conducted by Ohio State University (United States) which concludes that individuals who post more self-photos on their social networks have narcissistic and antisocial traits.

On the other hand, according to research by the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore and published in Computers in Human Behavior, the way to take a selfie can express the personality traits of a person, for example, if she is more or less outgoing, responsible or friendly. This study concludes that:

• Compassionate, cooperative and kind people appear smiling and happy in their self-photos.

• Kind people take selfies from below.

• Not revealing the location of the photo may indicate that the person is concerned about their privacy.

• "Putting pouts" is typical of insecure people, with anxiety and jealousy.

• The more opening of the photo, the greater emotional positivity

To find out if they are true and to be more sure of the results of this research, scientists will have to carry out other studies to confirm these conclusions. What is clear is that science is beginning to pay attention to this phenomenon.