Exploring personal characteristics associated with selfie liking
Although taking selfies has become a popular trend among teenagers in many countries, concerns have been raised about the negative personality traits associated with it. However, empirical research that explores the selfie associated personal characteristics of individuals is still scant. In the present study, the author aims to investigate four personal characteristics that might explain why some individuals like to take selfies more than others. They include the following: (1) narcissism, (2) attention seeking behavior, (3) self centered behavior, and (4) loneliness. Questionnaire data were collected from a sample of 300 students from a public university in Thailand; the majority of students were ages between 21 to 24 years old. The results from partial least square regression showed that the degree of selfie liking that the respondents reported was positively associated with all of these characteristics. The overall findings imply that, although selfies provide the opportunity for individuals to enhance self disclosure, they can reflect some unhealthy behavior on their part.