You’ve probably noticed that there are different types of Facebook users. You’ve got you’ve got your Regurgitaters – the ones who share any and all ‘news’ they find online. Then you’ve got your Serial Snappers– the ones only use Facebook who bulk upload indistinct pictures from their holibobs. You’ve also got your Check-And-Taggers – these are the guys who will check-in at every bar you visit on a night out, and proceed to tag you in every post even though you told them you were pulling a sicky the next day so have to keep it on the down low.
Then you’ve got Team #Fitspo. Love them or hate them, you’ll probably be familiar with those posts about that bikram yoga/5K run/leg day gym sesh they managed to fit in at lunch. If you’re one of those people, this might be some news you’re not so keen to hear, but a study by psychologists at Brunel University London has found that this type of Facebook user is likely to be a narcissist.
The study said that narcissists, who tend to frequently post about their achievements, are ‘motivated by their need for attention and validation from the Facebook community’ reports Business Insider. The study also suggested that people who specifically post updates about their workouts do it to ‘broadcast the effort they put into their physical appearance’.
If you’re someone who finds that sort of thing super annoying but hit like and comment on the post anyway, you’re not really helping yourself pal. Dr Tara Marshall, a psychology lecturer from Brunel University said: ‘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.’
Yep, there’s more to a like and a comment than you might have thought, you guys. Dr Marshall explained that although it’s not the biggest surprise in the world to find out that Facebook updates give an insight into what your personality’s like, it’s worth understanding why people write about certain topics because ‘their updates may be differentially rewarded with “likes” and comments’.
She said: ‘People who receive more likes and comments tend to experience the benefits of social inclusion, whereas those who receive none feel ostracised.’
I guess we all already knew that Facebook was a social minefield and although you’ll probably never look at your mate’s gym selfie the same way again, at least you might better understand why they’re so testy about how many likes it gets.
Story via: The Debrief
