Do you feel the need to take a selfie and post it on social media constantly? If so, you’re not alone. A new study suggests taking too many selfies to make you feel good is an actual illness that many selfie-takers are suffering from.
Researchers conducted a four-week study with 41 participants. Those participants were instructed to take one photo every day in one of three ways: a selfie photo with a smiling expression, a photo of something that would make oneself happy or a photo of something that would make another person happy.
Through the study, researchers found that taking self-portraits or ‘selfies’ daily can increase a person’s overall mood and fight off the feeling of stress and loneliness, said the study.
Do you feel like you might be suffering from this disorder?
The study gives a way to diagnose yourself quickly. Simply evaluate 20 statements and decide how you feel by ranking each of them on a value between one and five.
After evaluating, if your score is high then you more than likely have “selfitis”.
The research showed that a higher score means you’re balancing low self-confidence with obsessive attention-seeking. Furthermore, that higher score suggests you choose to connect with the social media world to feel like part of a larger group.
Some statements from participants in the study with a higher score include. “I feel more popular when I post my selfies on social media” and “I use photo-editing tools to enhance my selfie to look better than others.”
While “selfitis” is now presenting itself as a real disorder, there are no known treatments for it at this time. But researchers suggest setting the phone down and try connecting with others in person.
