Everyone loves a good selfie. I just took a selfie before I started writing this article. And yes, my hair is on point today.
But there’s a difference between liking selfies and really liking selfies. We all know that guy: His Instagram feed is filled with semi-nude shots of him at the gym with ridiculous hashtags like #beastmode #mirin #biceps #blessed.
Then, he has to post about 15 different shots of his clubbing outfits, all with different poses. He shows off his abs in those too because, of course.
We all get a laugh out of the guy who will seemingly do anything to get a few likes, but it turns out his constant posing is a sign of a serious personality disorder. According to a new study by researchers at The Ohio State University, men who take copious amounts of selfies show higher psychopathic tendencies than those who don’t.
In the study, researchers asked 800 men from 18 to 40 to complete an online survey about their photo posting habits with questions relating to how often they posted photos and their filtering habits. The men then completed standard questionnaires for anti-social behaviors and self-objectification.
“Most people don’t think that men even do that sort of thing, but they definitely do,” said lead researcher Jesse Fox in a press release.
The results showed that the more they posted the photos, the more they showed signs relating to psychopathy and narcissism. Those who heavily edited photos didn’t show as many signs of psychopathy.
“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,” Fox said.
Does that mean these men are going to start hurting people? No, but it shows that men are self-objectifying themselves a lot more often, which can lead to more destructive behaviors.
“We know that self-objectification leads to a lot of terrible things, like depression and eating disorders in women,” Fox said. “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.”
Translation: The obsession over creating a perfect online image is growing — and it can have a lasting impact on our personalities and how we treat other people.
More on men and relationships
9 Not-so-noticeable signs you’re dating a psychopath
I was married to a psychopath
5 Bad guy traits you shouldn’t overlook
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