Facebook pictures can encourage narcissism

YOU'RE so vain, I bet you have an "attractive, cool, fashionable or glamorous" profile picture on Facebook.

According to a new study, the social network's profile picture feature encourages narcissism.

The study conducted by the University of Florida asked 400 Facebook users, aged between 18 and 50, to rate if they were physically attractive, cool, glamorous or fashionable in their profile pictures.

Lead researcher Dr Tracy Alloway said the profile picture was the most tangible aspect of a user's online self- presentation, "making it a touchstone for narcissists seeking to draw attention to themselves".

"Narcissistic individuals have an exaggerated view of their attractiveness and want to share it with the world. Every narcissist needs a reflecting pool. Just as Narcissus gazed into the pool to admire his beauty, social networking sites, like Facebook, have become our modern-day pool," she said.

More women had rated their profile pictures as physically attractive, glamorous and cool.

Women also changed their profile pictures more often than men, updating their photo every two months compared to once every three months for men. "This could imply that female narcissistic users are more concerned with and give greater value to a profile that maintains a more physically appealing self-presentation. If women receive more compliments on their profile pictures, then updating the profile picture would give them more opportunities to receive positive reinforcement for their online self-presentation," Alloway said.

However, Durban clinical psychologist Dr Cathrin Venter said posting a good picture of one's self online did not make them a narcissist.

"Narcissism is a very strong word. No one is going to put up a bad picture of themselves on Facebook or say that they looked bad in the online photo because most users want to put their best foot forward even if it is online. That is not narcissism," she said.

Venter said a social network could not "turn someone into a narcissistic person".

A more in-depth study in 2010 surveyed 100 Canadian students after they took psychological tests to measure their levels of narcissism.

The study found that Facebook was an ideal setting for narcissists to monitor their appearance and self-promote themselves. - Nivashni Nair