What’s Wrong with Selfies?
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Whether you’re out having a great time with friends, or on a date with your significant other, or just reading your favorite book, pulling out your phone and snapping a quick selfie may seem perfectly harmless, but new research seems to suggest otherwise.
From this study, the findings suggest that taking and sharing ‘too many’ selfies points to deeper, underlying issues in selfie takers. Primarily, taking and posting selfies to social media correlates with the need to receive attention, to boost one’s mood, or to take part in a game of self-comparisons with others on social media.
Related: Why We Compare Ourselves to Others, and How to Break the Habit
Think about it. How many times have you taken a selfie and posted it to your social media with the hopes of receiving likes and comments, and overall favorable feedback on your selfie?
It’s not uncommon to feel this way when it comes to posting your selfies online. However, the more often you take and post selfies, the more likely you are to experience some of the dangers of taking selfies, such as anxiety, depression, and even a selfie addiction (called selfitis).
Other studies continue to highlight this common theme of selfie taking, and have found that such behaviors can actually lower your mood and reduce your confidence, especially over time.
It’s ironic, isn’t it? The reason we post selfies is to get a mood boost and to feel better about ourselves, when in reality this initial, positive feeling is quickly replaced with other negative (and often long-term) emotions, such as lowered self-esteem, and even depression.
Unfortunately, social media isn’t going away anytime soon, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t gain some control over it and your need to post selfies.
Related: 5 Reasons Why You Should Limit Your Social Media Use
Curbing the Selfie Urge
There are plenty of ways you can curb the urge to take a selfie. Firstly, try going without your phone for short stints of time throughout the day. Start out with 30 minutes, and then work your way up to an hour at a time.
Secondly, try limiting your social media use overall. Give yourself only a few minutes daily to be on any social media platform, and try to distance yourself from it as much as possible.
While you don’t have to do away with selfies altogether to get to a healthier head space, taking a few steps to establish a healthier relationship with social media is key for your mental health, and for keeping your self(ie) in check.
