What Your Facebook Updates Say About Your Personality

Posting gym selfies all day, you are probably a narcissist.

Almost everyone I know has Facebook. I use Facebook for work, to keep in contact with my close friends and family and to judge the lives of others.

Don't lie. I know you do too!

We all have Facebook friends who can't stop posting about their nasty divorce, or how their significant other is the greatest thing ever because of whatever reason, gym selfies, political views and endless photos of their children.

Each of us fall into one of these categories or another, and a new study says your Facebook posting habits say a lot about your personality.

HuffingtonPost did a fantastic article about a new study that was published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.

Here are some of the most common Facebook Updates and the personality traits that follow suit from the Huffington Post article:

When every update is about their kids
What it means: In the study, people whose posts were mostly about their children were more likely to be conscientious.

Organized, responsible, and hardworking, these people use Facebook less frequently than their peers. When they do log on, they tend to stick with "safe," low-key topics like happy family news and funny things from everyday life. No down-and-dirty gossip here--they're pretty discreet. They also tend to have more Facebook friends compared to other personality types.

When every smooth move their partner makes is announced
What it means: Researchers tied this behavior to low self-esteem or insecurity.

Behind the How did I get so lucky? braggadocio is a need to boost self-worth, suppress insecurities, and offer reassurance that a relationship is still going strong. Sadly, these status updates get fewer "Likes" and actually make the people who post them seem less, well, likable.

When their updates are mostly political beliefs and intellectual stuff
What it means: This was linked to open-mindedness, curiosity, and creativity.

Forget the mindless chit-chat: These people see Facebook as a way of getting a message out and sharing need-to-know info--say, a "gotta read" book that just blew them away or a worthwhile cause that could use some attention.

When every status is a photo of them with a big group of friends
What it means: They're extroverted.

For gregarious and talkative types, Facebook is a way to shoot the breeze with other people, and show off their fabulous social life. These people post frequently and, not surprisingly, have a wide circle of friends who make many appearances in their feed.

When the drama never ends
What it means: This was related to neuroticism.

Bring on the angry-face and sob emojis! Neurotic people are anxious, and so they use Facebook to get the attention and support that you may feel is missing from their life offline by airing every grievance in a dramatic fashion. They are likely to use Facebook for validation. Pretty much everything is fair game here: Posts can be emotional and deeply personal.

When every other update is about their sick abs
What it means: He or she might be a narcissist.

These types of posts come from exhibitionists, who most likely take great care in their personal appearance, and seek attention by frequently boasting about accomplishments. These updates receive a lot of "Likes" and comments, but here's the catch: Researchers surmise that although narcissists' bragging seems to pay off--because their status updates receive plenty of "Likes" and comments--it could be that their so-called Facebook friends are merely being polite, while secretly hating the "Look at me!" displays. Ya think?

 

Makes complete sense to me! It will be interesting to take this new knowledge to my Facebook viewing.