A new study has found that what you post on Facebook and other social media sites can reveal personality traits like self-esteem and narcissism.
Posting on Facebook has become a seamless activity that almost everyone does on a daily basis. And while we don’t often think about what we share with our friends, a new study has found that our posts can tell us a lot about our personality.
According to Dr. Tara Marshall, author of the study published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, people who brag about narcissistic traits are more likely to post about their accomplishments, exercise, and diets on Facebook.
Dr. Marshall said that narcissists tend to share such bragging posts because they tend to get more likes and comments on such updates. Ironically, while their friends politely love such selfish displays, they often secretly hate such bragging endeavors.
The study itself consisted of a survey conducted with the help of 555 avid Facebook users and individuals who love the social media platform.
Another interesting correlation found within the group of people surveyed was that people with low self-esteem tended to post regular updates about their current romantic partner.
The study also showed that people who tended to post on Facebook about their children tended to be more conscientious.
Introverts and extroverts on Facebook
The study also found a direct correlation between people’s extroversion toward others and how frequently they shared posts on social media. While introverts shared less regularly, extroverts tended to update their Facebook wall more often with posts about seemingly mundane activities and daily life status updates.
Furthermore, people with high openness were more likely to share intellectual topics, due to their tendency to use Facebook to share all sorts of information.
What’s even more striking is how people responded to the number of likes and comments on their posts. According to Dr. Marshall, those who are rewarded with “likes” on their posts tend to feel socially included, while those who don’t receive many likes tend to feel ostracized by their Facebook audience.
Dr. Marshall also stated that the main goal of the study was to raise awareness of the effects of Facebook posts and show what certain types of posts reveal about our personality.
The study’s author also shared that knowing how our posts affect others can help us avoid topics that might upset our Facebook friends and instead focus on more entertaining social media behaviors and posts.
What are you posting on Facebook? Do you find the results of this study accurate? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
