Do you use social networks frequently? If yes, then you might be a narcissist! A new study has found that, when used often, social websites can easily makes us more narcissistic.
This interesting discovery was made by researchers from the University of Michigan. In their study published in the online journal Computers in Human Behaviour, they capture all their observations. For the purposes of the survey, scientists used interviewed more than 90 adults at an average age of 35 years, as well as nearly 500 university undergraduates. The research focused on the amount of time they tend to spend and the amount of content they publish on their social network profiles. In addition, the study tried to find a connection between the social habits of respondents and the traits of their personality.
One of the findings which resulted from the survey was that young adults who frequently update their social status show stronger traits of superiority, exhibitionism, self-sufficiency, authority and exploitativeness. In other words, they bear more traits that are directly connected to narcissism.
In addition, college students who participated in the study were also found to value their own opinions highly. As a result, they are the most likely group to share personal opinions and views in the online social world.
In comparison, adults at a middle age, who often publish post in the social networks, seek rather an approval from others. Unlike youngsters, adults have a formed social image and role. Therefore, they are not using social websites to showcase themselves and their beliefs, but to see how others respond to them. Nevertheless, middle-ages active users of social websites were also said to exhibit more narcissistic traits compared to passive users. The only difference between youngsters and adults who have the habit of frequently updating their online social status is that they simply rely on different ways to build their social image and boost their ego.
However, the researchers from the University of Michigan also believe that additional studies examining the amount of time users spend in reading and responding to posts and comments by others also need to be conducted. According to them, a user’s posting habits show only one side of the coin.
Also, the survey was not able to find whether narcissistic people are naturally more likely to use social networks actively or not. Nevertheless, it did conclude that social media and narcissism have a lot in common.
