Where and how you’re most likely to die taking a selfie

One minute you’re sunning yourself in the glory of your own reflection on Snapchat, the next minute you’re falling off the side of a cliff.

Obviously, this is no laughing matter. But selfies are ubiquitous. On any given week the word selfie appears is mentioned in 365,000 Facebook posts and 150,000 tweets. A search of Instagram hashtags turns up more than 50 million results for the word.

Now, a new study by Priceonomics has found that of the 49 selfie-related deaths they found that 75 per cent were male, and the most common age of death is 21.

India has the highest number of selfie-related deaths.

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Though women take significantly more selfies than men, 36 of the 49 selfie-related fatality victims were male. Studies have shown that men are two times more likely to take recreational risks than women are, even when it comes to selfies.

Researchers at Ohio State University found that men who frequently post selfies score significantly higher in the traits of “narcissism” and “psychopathy” in personality tests. As a result, when these men take a selfie, they brush off potential dangers in favour of validation and personal gain.

According to Priceonomics the most likely cause of death was a fall from a height, followed by drowning.

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