Women who tend to judge their self-worth more on appearance tend to post more pictures of themselves on Facebook, a US study suggests.
Research from academics at universities in New York, Texas and Hawaii found women generally share more photos on the social networking site than men, and those women generally base their self-worth more strongly on appearance. Therefore, the study suggests the women do this to attract attention in a bid to feel better about themselves.
“It is disappointing to me that in the year 2011 so many young women continue to assert their self-worth via their physical appearance – in this case, by posting photos of themselves on Facebook as a form of advertisement,” University of Buffalo researcher Michael A Stefanone told CNET.
The study, based on a survey of 311 college-age participants (49.8pc of whom were female), also reveals that participants who base self-worth on private contingencies, such as family love or personal virtue, spend less time online, compared to participants who base self-worth on public contingencies, such as appearance and approval of others, who spend more time online.
