Few researchers have
examined selfie taking behavior. To address this gap, 235 participants (age 18 -
60) completed an online questionnaire assessing a variety of psychological
factors, personality traits, and selfie taking activities (i.e., frequency of
selfies posted to social networking sites [SNSs], time spent editing selfies,
and number of selfie takes prior to posting). A number of statistically
significant correlations emerged. For example, participants’ levels of
neuroticism, social physique anxiety, body-related shame, and concern about
physical appearance correlated positively with the amount of time spent editing
selfies. As well, group comparisons between selfie (n = 193) and
non-selfie takers (n = 42) suggest that the former exhibit higher levels
of certain facets of vanity. The implications of these findings and directions
for future research are outlined.
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