You probably have one of three very distinct selfie personalities. You either hate them (you’d never take one, let alone post one on social media), take too many selfies and give Kim K. a run for her money, or swear you’re not that kind of person. But sometimes they pick it up maliciously. We don’t mean to be the selfie police (selfie sticks, on the other hand…), but it’s not always the innocuous photo you might think.
RELATED: It Took Me Years To Quiet The Echo Of My Mother’s Sneering Voice
Here are 6 ways sneaky selfies are ruining people’s health:
- They bring out your narcissistic side
We know this isn’t called anti-social media, but posting a lot of selfies doesn’t necessarily mean putting your best foot forward.
In a 2014 Ohio State University study of 1,000 men, researchers found that men who posted more selfies also ranked higher on measures of narcissism and psychopathy. Now, selfie-takers are still in the normal range for these undesirable traits, but there are better sides of you to show, we’re sure of it.
- Selfies can put you in extreme danger
While you are busy improving your duck face, you may directly put yourself in harm’s way. Selfie takers are dead — yes, dead — chasing the perfect shot atop tall buildings, overhanging bridges, and heading toward cliff edges. Is it worth it?!
Related: If A Guy Says Any Of These 12 Phrases, ‘Run Before You Even Knew How To Crawl’
- Focusing on the word “maybe” may put you at risk of getting lice
A Wisconsin pediatrician caused a stir when she postulated in a local news segment that an increase in lice cases in her office over the past five years could be linked to selfie-taking. extension? Maybe, but it’s not an entirely foreign proposition: the pose we strike with friends to put both of us in the frame in a selfie – do we use it? – It puts the heads in closer contact than usual. However, there is no strong evidence to support this theory.
- Selfies can distort your body image
All this obsession with the perfect angle and lighting doesn’t seem to do teens any favors. Teenage girls who shared the most selfies on social media were more likely to feel dissatisfied with their bodies and idealize the traditional thin beauty standard, according to a 2015 study by a team of Australian researchers.
They were also more likely to restrict their food intake, compared to girls who posted fewer selfies.
Related: 8 Fundamental Differences Between Sociopathic ‘Love’ & The Real Thing
- You can hurt your elbow while taking a selfie
Taking too many selfies can be a pain – literally. As with any other overuse injury, misusing your extremities to capture the perfect shot can cause wear and tear.
Overzealous selfie enthusiasts can fall victim to inflammation and irritation of the muscles and tendons around the elbow, leading to pain similar to tennis elbow, says Shoshana Gelb, DPT, clinical director at Brookfield Place Professional Physical Therapy in New York City. “If you’re taking many selfies or taking multiple photos at once while holding your hand in that position if the tendons and muscles aren’t strong, it creates tension,” she explains.
Fortunately, ice and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications can nip this pain in the bud, but you’ll have to stop taking selfies for a while, too. Add it to the list of technology-induced annoyances like text neck and Blackberry thumb.
- The bright side: Selfies may make you happier
We can’t quite hate selfies: A small study by the University of California, Irvine published in July 2016 assigned college students a simple photo-taking task.
They were assigned to one of three groups and asked to either take selfies, take photos of something that would make them happy, or take photos of something that would make a friend happy. Then they sent their photos to a friend. Feelings of happiness and positivity increased in all three groups, and the selfie-takers even reported a slight increase in confidence in their smiles over the 3-week study period.
