Bangkok researcher believes people who take selfies are more likely to be lonely


  • A study judged the personalities of people and how often they took selfies
  • They found those who take snaps of themselves are likelier to be lonely
  • Experts believe this is because they selfies for approval from other people

Stephen Matthews For Mailonline

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Do you know a selfie queen? Someone completely unafraid to blitz their Instagram account with a string of pictures of their face?

Or maybe you have the obsession, unable to go a day without snapping yourself in a different location.  

But now scientists have warned those who constantly take pictures of themselves are more likely to be lonely.

It could also be a sign of trouble in their relationships or mental health problems, experts found.

Those who constantly take pictures of themselves are more likely to be lonely, scientists warn. However, they are also more likely to be vain and attention-seeking too

Constant self-snappers are also more likely to be vain and attention-seeking too, a study revealed. 

Researchers in Thailand assessed the personality habits of 300 students and looked at how often they took pictures of themselves.

The participants, mostly females aged between 21 and 24, were interviewed to see if they had narcissism, attention-seeking, self-centred behaviour or loneliness personality traits.

A vast majority spent more than 50 per cent of their spare time on either their mobile phone or scouring the internet, they found. 

Concerning the relationship between selfie-liking and the control variables, the analysis showed that selfie-liking was positively associated with the intensity of social media us 

Experts believe both men and women who have lonely personalities tend to take more selfies for approval from other people. 

Lead researcher Dr Peerayuth Charoensukmongkol, of the National Institute of Development Administration, Bangkok, said: ‘Not only do individuals who become obsessed with taking selfies tend to feel that their personal lives and psychological well-being are damaged, but they may feel that relationship qualities with others are also impaired.

Experts believe both men and women who have lonely personalities tend to take more selfies for approval from other people

‘Individuals with higher degrees of loneliness tend to report selfie-liking to a greater extent.

‘Taking selfies allows individuals to control what other people see in the photos, it is not surprising that those who exhibit these narcissistic characteristics tend to like selfies because it helps them achieve this personal goal.

‘While many people consider taking selfies to be an enjoyable activity, those who take selfies need to concern themselves with the unhealthy behaviors that might be associated with this activity as well.’ 

Some experts have argued that selfie-taking behavior can be linked to mental illness, he added.

However, psychologists suggest that it is not an addiction but a symptom of body dysmorphic disorder – a form of anxiety.

This could be the reason why individuals who like to take selfies tend to focus too much on themselves and express less concern about others, Dr Charoensukmongkol added.

The report is published in the Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace.

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