"Gym selfies" linked to psychological problems

We all have an Instagram "friend" obsessed with uploading photos of each and every workout at the gym. It may even be you yourself who makes the typical remark about how well your morning has been running or cycling, however, all human activity hides psychological conclusions behind it. According to a study by Brunel University (London - UK) people used to "gym selfies" show psychological problems in a wide spectrum of possibilities, engrossed in attitudes that are indicative of a poor state of mental health.

According to the results, in the best of cases, the person who compulsively shares this type of personal content suffers from narcissistic traits. Analyzing human behavior, researchers have realized that the only intention when sharing this content is to show off their self-imposed dedication to their aesthetic appearance.

Narcissists update their social networks more frequently about their physical achievements and this is motivated by the need for attention and protagonism within their community.

However, the most worrying thing about the study is the insincerity of the "friends" who interact with this type of content. According to the study, despite the fact that this type of content has a high rate of politically correct and flattering interactions, in private most users confess that they do not like this type of exhibitionistic and egomaniacal attitudes. Definitely, it is not something that has to be scientifically certified, but many times, this type of attitudes generate a doubt between the deficiencies or surpluses of its protagonists, and this study has definitely made it clear that these types of activities are caused by a need and a lack, and not at all in the public interest.

It is not the first study on "selfies"

Egolatry is an increasingly common plague on social networks, the one described above is not the first study or analysis focused on addiction to selfies. The excessive use of networks like Facebook inevitably invokes the narcissistic spirit that we all have hidden, before which, our humility fights faithfully year after year. More than 240 million people they have published a photograph on Facebook under the hashtags #me or #selfie, with the sole and mere intention of drawing attention to a point, he / she. Sociologists and psychiatrists agree that this type of people only exhibit what they want others to see, so in general they are subjects with low self-esteem who require the approval and acceptance of others.

With the attitude of the «selfie», what they want is to create a motion of confidence among their relatives, to revalidate your current identity, or discard it, if you do not receive the necessary approval. Therefore, specialists indicate that there are two keys to this type of behavior: uncontrolled narcissism, or a significant lack of self-esteem.

Note: According to Romanesque and Greek mythology, Narcissus was a beautiful young man, with such self-love that one day looking at his reflection in a lake, he fell in love with himself, and ended up committing suicide due to the sadness of not being able to achieve what he he always wanted, himself.

The main concern of these subjects "addicted" to selfie is to achieve the highest number of "likes" possible, as if indicating the score of a daily test. According to Best Computer Science Schools, this type of behavior ends up degenerating into psychological problems such as depression, obsessive disorders and dysmorphophobia. The "likes" give feedback to this addiction, but how can we not "like" that photograph of our lifelong friend, even if we don't like it at all. Definitely, the best method to help these people is to indicate carefully that their activity is not within the usual parameters of a healthy behavior, and that perhaps they should rethink their use of social networks or the reasons why they maintain a physical or other state.