New Study Links Taking Selfies with Psychopathy

originally posted by: Profusion

Researchers from Ohio University found that people (and men in particular) who post numerous selfies and spend a lot of time editing them, are of course, more likely to be narcissistic. But what they also found is that these people are also probably psychopaths. The lead author of the study noted “The more interesting finding is that they also score higher on this other anti-social personality trait, psychopathy, and are more prone to self-objectification.”
Link to article

Should parents add this to the "birds and the bees" discussion in the 21st century and beyond? So many more things to consider these days.

…so the women who preen and take endless selfless are different?

a reply to: [post=19690013]BASSPLYR[/post

Ahh The prison story was just made up to make kids self conscience about how they dress and it didn't work. And the holding the gun sideways made it easier for doing drivebys everybody knows that!

Yep....completely psycho.....

I don't partake in any social media outlet and only have 2 photos from childhood. But I do oft look in the mirror. I'm like a "Greek God" with sparkling green eyes, salt & pepper hair, and a young face. I should love taking selfies, were it based purely upon appreciation for one's own aesthetic appeal.

But I don't. So I don't think taking selfies is always related to narcissism. I do not care what others ponder of me, so never thought about using my time to try and expose myself to them for their opinions.

It seems like people take selfies so they can get attention, impress others, or feel like mini celebrities on their own platform. If you keep filtering your life through whatever is trending at the time (like that "duckface" thing, or trying to always seem "fun") or through the eyes and ideals of others, especially when they are doing the same (thus creating a feedback loop within an artificial social construct), then it can lead to a detachment from reality, and psychopathic tendencies beyond narcissism. The very act of taking a selfie is a tribute to your internet persona/image and a detracting statement from living, and feeling, real life.

Double post...

Some interesting comments here on this subject...

I've oft wondered about this phenomenon of manufactured 'apparent' stardom. Several of the responses here have noted the abject loneliness in society today as being part of the problem. This got me to thinking (dangerous in any right); I believe there's something to this. There's an interesting symptom / parallel...

Remember when you were a kid (for many of us), you knew every single one of your neighbors. You knew every one of the kids on your block/street. Your parents might have even played card games with a neighbor on weekend evenings. You played with friends, you knew who you liked and who you didn't. Certain families got together for various outings, etc. You knew which houses had the good candy on Halloween...The list goes on and on.

Now days most people hardly even know their next door neighbor, let alone the family 2 doors down. People are so self absorbed / self contained, they live in their own 'bubble' and seldom venture outside it (socially or physically). It doesn't matter who the best kid on the soccer team is, everyone gets a trophy, and that's just fine in their insulated, walled-off, world.

All this, and we haven't even talked about 'selfies' yet. Well...

I can't help but think this self-absorbed, distanced and insulated social structure leads to an environment where people don't interact with one another anymore in a real sense. They're too focused on themselves and their own little social microcosm of their reality. Oh sure, they go out in public because they have to, but they do so within the confines their 'removed' personal space. They walk about constantly looking at their mobile device, looking to see how many 'likes' they got on that last selfie. Yes, this would appear to be a lonely existence indeed.

...and then there's the Selfie Stick...

originally posted by: ketsuko
It's one thing to snap a quick pic to express the sentiment of "Hi! Wish you were here." It's another thing to try to shamelessly self-promote by taking endless pics of yourself done up like some kind of model.

Amen to that.

a reply to: Eye4NeyE

so I'd love to hear why holding a gun sideways is great for doing drive bys.

holding a gun sideways is technically called a side grip. it's used when holding a ballistic or riot sheild. it's an inferior way to shoot a gun cause its so damned inaccurate but is one of the few ways you can hold a riot sheild and a gun at the same time.

even george washington gave commands for his troops to never hold a gun that way cause it could hurt innocent bystanders.

it first made its appearance in Hollywood in the 60s because holding a gun properly will obscure the actors face so they used the side grip for artistic purposes. so you can see both the gun and the actors face.

gangstas started doing it due to combination of watching it in Hollywood (cause most gangstas are wannabes) and from their collective experiences in the pen where they would watch cops hold the gun in a side grip when holding their ballistic shields during prison riots.


as for the sagging pants. yeah no, that's a prison thing. you see back in the day the rap world had no fashion of their own. rappers were wearing hip hop attire. the only thing that stood out as uniquely rapper attire was the few wearing prison fashion. it took hold and more rappers gravitated towards that look until it eventually became mainstream. street thugs wore it too as it becane popular because it gave them the implied connection to being hard and running with people strait out of the clink. the only ones who aren't aware of their original implications when sagging and honestly believe it's just fashion and how they express their swagger tend to be young and don't know the history.

a reply to: BASSPLYR

I'm pretty sure the police like it because these idiot thugs commit crimes with their pants sagging. When they're caught in the act of a crime, they can't run and get away because their pants start falling down. Idiots.

I think they also like the tattoos because now they can identify the suspect much easier. Its like they're stamping their bodies with an ID. Idiots.

a reply to: WeRpeons

don't even get me started on hipsters wearing tattoos and having no idea what they mean. saw a hipster at a a coffee shop the other day. had one if those spiderweb tattoos on his elbow. i asked him where he did time and he looked at me all confused. guess he didn't know his now trendy tattoo meant that he had spent time in prison. and what's up with folks that have nothing to do with maritime activity sporting nautical stars tattoos? hipsters sheesh.

as for me. no tattoos (not against them, my sister and half my friends have full sleeves ) no piercings, and no jewlery. al la natural for me. got plenty of scars though. prouder of those than any trite trendy fashion statement I could ever hope to jump on the bandwagon with.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I agree, part of the problem is we no longer need those around us in the way we always did.

It's really only in the last 20 years or so, us as a species communicate with each other, build and maintain our friendships not in person to a degree. Community is moving online.

a reply to: Profusion

Selfies are linked to narcissism. Psychopathy is something very different.

a reply to: BASSPLYR

That's because most baristas are narcissist hipsters.

"I have a beard and I make coffee for a living, ergo (a go to word for hipsters) My beard and myself are better than you. please tip generously."

And my response would be "anyone can make coffee. Don't pretend you are more cultured than us because you peruse buzzfeed in your lunch break. Go make another gratis mocca for the gal that you think that likes you despite the fact she has a partner."

Ouch.

a reply to: MasterBaiter

I bet this guy takes a lot of selfies.

Selfies need to disappear in a black hole. True Story: I was walking to my car the other day at Home Depot. This lady driving is taking a selfie. She almost ran over ANOTHER lady who was taking a selfie herself. Who in the world takes a selfie in the Home Depot parking lot???!!!

Everytime I see someone with a selfie stick, I feel like smacking them with it . Ugh

a reply to: TheLegend

Now I kinda want to see your selfie

As with almost anything, selfies are an attention-grab. Just as exchanging ideas, debating, etc. on an Internet forum can be seen as its own method of validation, lol.

Selfies are very normal and common, while narcissism and psychopathy are not. People take selfies to prove they are real people on social medias like Facebook or LinkedIn more than they do to feel important. I think it's pretty unfair to say nearly every young person is a conformist-herd-animal-hyper-consumer-follower-capitalist-pig-sheeple-normie for taking a selfie every now and then.

Eagerly awaiting a study which links psychopathy and narcissism with posting on Internet forums. What's it about being one or both of those things that makes someone a bad person anyway?

originally posted by: blackmetalmist
a reply to: TheLegend

Now I kinda want to see your selfie

lol I've never taken a selfie in my life tho.

And I agree. Selfie sticks are ridiculous. I remember the first time I saw one in a store I thought... Nobody would buy this. It's just too insane, too immature, too shameful.

But last time I was in Vegas I saw at least a dozen people using them while walking down the Strip. People even go swimming with them.

a reply to: ProleUK

loved your comment.Thank you!
And to add another issue that involve it all- is the lose of the so important actual social life we had before virtual communication. (telephones included).

a reply to: Profusion

Personally I believe most of them lack self confidence. When you take a selfie and post it all of your friends who also take selfies will like your selfie and possibly even post how cute you look in your selfie. This is a false boost to self esteem, which is why it becomes an addiction.

Most people have become so abused by the media about how important looks are they have allowed their since of self worth to be determined by outward appearance.

The value we have placed on superficial values is the problem which has lead to the selfie for self promotion of self worth.

Who cares who a person is, most are so consumed by looks that the most attractive people truly become celebrities. Us less attractive people can either go along with the game, or realize that our looks, for the most part, our out of our control so we find self worth in being who we are instead.

But for the teenager who sees the popular attractive kids in a new relationship every month, while they struggle to get even one date, it is very hard on them. So taking selfies becomes a way for them to seek the same attention that the more attractive crowd receive each day.

When we stop immortalizing marginal people with questionable moral values and start evaluating those we put on TV and in movies based on actual talent, and stop airbrushing everyone to meet some idea of perfection that is unobtainable, this will continue to be a problem, especially for our youth.