Most of us know that one friend in our social group who always posts their gym activity on social media with captions like “work hard so you can party harder”. Or maybe it could be you. It could either motivate someone to start working on their physical health or make someone annoyed if they hate the idea of flexing bicepts and abs online.
A study was conducted by some researchers in Brunel University, London in May 2015, as to why people share their workout on social media and the results are quite unflattering. It says that people who are keen on documenting their gym activities tend to have narcissistic traits.
as Narcissists thrive on attention and validation, the study concluded that they update about their achievements more frequently and boast about how much time they invest in their looks.
Dr Tara Marshall, a psychology lecturer said that although the results suggest that narcissists’ bragging pays off because they receive more likes and comments, it could also be that the Facebook friends politely offer support while secretly disliking such egotistical displays.
She further stated that greater awareness of how one’s status updates might be perceived by friends could help people to avoid topics that annoy more than they entertain.
