Selfie-takers are conceited and self-centered according to new research
They see themselves as hotter than other people do
Selfies have changed the way people interact with the world. From having whole conversations through selfies on Snapchat to the perfectly lit selfie you post on Instagram, it’s no secret selfies are a big part of our life.
However, a recent study by the University of Toronto found that selfie-takers everywhere might be a bit too into themselves. You might be thinking: well, duh. But this study actually showed that people “often perceive themselves as more attractive and likable than others do.”
Researchers assembled roughly 200 participants, half of whom were “regular selfie-takers,” and compared their selfies to pictures of them taken by others. The pictures were rated by both external judges and the selfie-takers themselves to see how attractive and likable they thought they would be seen as if the pictures were uploaded to social media. Turns out, the selfie-takers rated their own pictures as more attractive and likable (and, coincidentally, thought they were less narcissistic) than in the photos of themselves taken by others – in other words, they thought they were actually hotter than other people thought they were. “Thus, self-enhancing misperceptions may support selfie-takers’ positive evaluations of their selfies, revealing notable biases in self-perception.”
So what does this mean for selfie-takers everywhere? Most girls agree that they great in the selfies they take – otherwise why share them?
Selfie-taker Rachel Ornitz from UMass Amherst says: “I was feelin’ myself in this pic, and I don’t really give a shit what anyone else thinks about it.”