According
to study author Dr. Tara Marshall, sometimes the narcissists’ behavior
works to their advantage. “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,” she said in a formal statement.
However,
these findings from Brunel University are not the first that connect
Facebook postings with personality traits. A study released from University of Florida
found that one Facebook behavior was linked to levels of narcissism —
the rating someone gave their own profile shot. While this was true for
both men and women (the higher their self-rating of attractiveness, the
higher the chances of narcissism), they added that the frequency of
status postings in females can also predict narcissism.
Then there’s previous research from The University of Kansas
, which found that people who tend to be more agreeable post less
often, people who are more open-minded are less likely to respond to
other people’s updates yet will post more often about political issues
and those who are conscientious tend to agree more often with other’s
updates.
As for the people who rarely offer status updates yet log in for more hours than the typical Facebook user … according to a study conducted by University of Alabama Huntsville, these members fall into the shy category.
Jacqueline Hornor Plumez, PhD, a psychologist and author of The Bitch In Your Head,
tells Yahoo Health she is not surprised the terms “narcissism” and “low
self-esteem” have been linked together, as seen in numerous studies on
Facebook, including the latest one from London. “The interesting thing
is that people who have low self-esteem and people who narcissists are
really two sides of the same coin,” she explains. “While it appears to
be that narcissists think they’re superior, in fact, it’s a defense
against their feelings of inferiority. And they are both based on the
fact that both types of people are highly self-critical.”
And
while she stresses there’s nothing wrong with sharing the happenings in
your life — “My husband surprised me with roses!” “I’m so proud of my
daughter!” “Looking good in my new size 4 jeans!” — Plumez says making
these types of announcements on social media usually boils down to
someone’s need for attention.
“There’s
a huge difference in the way you feel when you sit down with a good
friend over a cup of coffee and share what’s going on with your life
versus sitting in your office or in your bedroom posting on Facebook and
hoping to get Likes, comments and praise,” she states. “The motivation
is the same, but it’s like eating junk food versus something
nutritious.”
And
same goes for the frequent postings that include selfies. “I think it’s
a longing for connection,” says Plumez. “I know many people today are
highly self-critical. And that self criticism is a nasty, circular
process: You criticize yourself, which makes you feel lonely and
unworthy of real relationships and love, and then you go and try to find
the praise—but it doesn’t really feel that wonderful.”
She
adds that while Facebook and other forms of social media can be “mildly
interesting” in terms of discovering what other people are up to, she
doesn’t advise using it to obtain a self-esteem boost. “One of the
famous psychologists named Alfred Adler said that mental health is a
combination of self-esteem and altruism,” she says. “If you just try to
get your self-esteem by somehow feeling superior, it isn’t going to feel
good. You have to have that connection of caring about other people.
And I think that Facebook, while it appears to be connecting everybody,
can be isolating.”
Let’s keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Health on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Have a personal health story to share? We want to hear it. Tell us at YHTrueStories@yahoo.com.
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