Men’s Selfies Might Be a Sign of Psychopathy

Research has shown that men who like making selfies have signs of narcissism and psychopathy.

Personality and Individual Differences Magazine published results from research on men who make selfies. The study was conducted by assistant professor of the Ohio State University, Jesse Fox.

Researchers analysed data from a survey completed by 800 men aged between 18 and 40. Participants were asked how often they posted their photos and how they edit the photos. The answers were compared to the results of tests on anti-social behaviors and self-objectification.

Fox found out that men who post in their photos n social media showed signs of narcissism and psychopathy. Men who also edited their photos (by cropping, adding filters and making color-correction) have demonstrated higher levels of self-objectification, which mean regarding yourself as an object.

“That makes sense because psychopathy is characterised by impulsivity. They are going to snap the photos and put them online right away. They want to see themselves. They don’t want to spend time editing,” says Fox explained. She added that self-objectification has rarely been studied in heterosexual men. “We know that self-objectification leads to a lot of terrible things, like depression and eating disorders in women,” said Fox.

Fox said she is planning to conduct a similar study among women.