Yahoo Lifestyle How Sexy Selfies Are Making You Lose Friends
A new study says posting revealing selfies online could be making you lose friends.
As part of a three-year study, researchers from Oregon State University asked young women to look at two different Facebook profiles (one with a sexy picture and one with a normal one) and rate what they thought of the subjects.
While the Facebook profiles were identical in every other way, the majority of the participants rated the non-sexy profile pic higher than the other.
"What does this tell us about gender?" researcher Elizabeth Daniels asked, referring to the culture that both punishes and rewards female sexuality. "These conversations should be part of everyday life."
Regardless, the finding also supports research by the UK University of Birmingham, which found that those who posted a lot of selfies were actually alienating their social circle.
"It's possible romantic partners and close friends would rather see pictures of themselves with you, spending time together," researcher David Houghton said. "Others may not be interested in seeing tons of pictures of someone else and find too many shares in a short window to be egotistical."
While the news probably doesn't signify the end of the plethora of selfies clogging your feed, the research does remind social media users to exercise caution.
"It all boils down to your specific friend groups on certain sites," says Houghton. "It's worth remembering that on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, you likely have a mix of friends, colleagues, family and acquaintances - and you may not want to share everything with everyone."
