Now There's Proof: People Who Post Workout Pics On Facebook Are Narcissists
There's a study about the motivations behind what we all post on Facebook, and it's sure to prove many people's assumptions right.
The study comes from Brunel University London, and the research surveyed people who post status updates about their workouts and linked them to a certain personality trait: narcissism.
Narcissists also wrote more status updates about their diet and exercise routine, suggesting that they use Facebook to broadcast the effort they put into their physical appearance.
The study surveyed 555 Facebook users and aimed to measure certain personality traits: extroversion, neuroticism, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, self-esteem and narcissism.
And while the study found a link between all those gym selfies on your News Feed and the people doing the posting, the research also concluded those people's posts are more popular than others.
The study's summary reads,
Narcissists more frequently updated about their achievements, which was motivated by their need for attention and validation from the Facebook community. These updates also received a greater number of 'likes' and comments, indicating that narcissists' boasting may be reinforced by the attention they crave.
But regardless of how many likes people's workout posts get, there's reason to believe most people still find those posts annoying.
Tara Marshall, PhD, a lecturer at Brunel, explained,
Although our results suggest that narcissists' bragging pays off because they receive more likes and comments to their status updates, it could be that their Facebook friends politely offer support while secretly disliking such egotistical displays. Greater awareness of how one's status updates might be perceived by friends could help people to avoid topics that annoy more than they entertain.
The research had other interesting findings, such as a link between users who frequently post about their relationships and low self-esteem.
But, there's no doubt the study keyed in most on the correlation between narcissism and the gym selfie-loving friends on your Facebook.
Citations: Posting about your workout on Facebook means you're a narcissist, study says (Mashable), Facebook status updates reveal low self-esteem and narcissism (Science Daily), Facebook status updates reveal low self-esteem and narcissism (Brunel University London)
