14 DAY TRIAL // In a recent report in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, a team of researchers at Brunel University in London, UK, argue that people's Facebook status updates are indicators of their dominant personality traits.
What this means is that, by looking at what an individual's Facebook posts are most often about, it should be fairly easy to get the gist of how they are wired, the specialists further explain.
People who post about diets and exercise are narcissists
The Brunel University researchers go on to say that, as part of their investigation into how Facebook posts reveal personality traits, they carried out an online survey involving a total of 555 users of the social media site.
The survey focused on identifying five key personality traits, i.e. extroversion, neuroticism, openness, conscientiousness and agreeableness, and linking them to specific patterns in composing status updates.
It was revealed that, when compared to other people, narcissists are in the habit of using Facebook to talk about their diet and exercise routine. They do so to let others know that they care about their physical appearance.
Furthermore, the specialists say that, according to their research, narcissists also share information about other achievements. Their posts are almost never ignored, which feeds their need for attention.
As for people who have low self-esteem, the Brunel University team says that they typically post status updates about their romantic partner. Those who are conscientious, on the other hand, tend to post about their children.
What people do on Facebook and what they really mean
Psychology lecturer Tara Marshall would like to point out that, even though they receive more likes and comments than other Facebook users, narcissists who turn to the social media site to brag about their achievements are not necessarily the ones with more friends.
True, the attention they get is bound to make them feel better about themselves and give them a sense of belonging and social inclusion - as opposed to those who are ignored by their peers and might, therefore, feel ostracized - but this does not mean everything is A-OK in the real world.
“Although our results suggest that narcissists’ bragging pays off because they receive more likes and comments to their status updates, it could be that their Facebook friends politely offer support while secretly disliking such egotistical displays,” said Tara Marshall.