(PCM) It is no secret that nowadays selfies have become a very big pop culture trend and the snapping of a selfie photo is something that just about everyone has done at one time or another. However, now doctors and scientists are linking our obsession with selfies to more and more cases popping up of people suffering from narcissism and body image obsession.
With the up rising of social media, people are more compelled than ever before to take and post selfie images and receive near instantaneous feedback on those images as soon as they are posted online. This can have a positive or negative outcome depending on the person and their ability to take criticism on the negative side or how narcissistic they could become when given positive reinforcement.
There have been stories that have surfaced about individuals taking hundreds and hundreds of selfies per day just to find the perfect shot. When looking at the images they begin picking apart everything about their appearance which can lead to cases of body obsession. While it is true that all of us would love to try to capture the perfect image, especially when it is going to be posted in a public forum like social media, the compulsion to pick apart everything little thing that is wrong with our appearance is ultimately not a healthy behavior pattern.
Individuals are now making the basis for their overall happiness on how many likes they receive on their social media accounts, especially when it comes to selfies. Our looks and appearance can slowly build up to be the most important thing in our lives and that is the perfect breeding ground for narcissism to flourish.
The selfie obsession can also wreak havoc on a person’s self-confidence, especially if they do not receive what they feel is an adequate number of “likes” or positive commentary. It is important for us to remember that the true liking of oneself is really the only “like” we should be worried about and that all of us are uniquely beautiful in our own way and should be comfortable in our own skin.
The post Could Our Obsession With Selfies Lead To Mental Illness? also appeared on PCM Lifestyle.