Spartan Scroll

by AMANDA GONZALEZ

Photo by AMANDA GONZALEZ

Despite the common belief that social media is destructive to teenagers’ confidence, recent research done by the University of California, Irvine, has proven that posting selfies can actually help boost self-esteem.

When people see others taking selfies, many tend to assume they are vain or egotistical. However, a recent study has determined that taking selfies and sharing them can be very beneficial to one’s confidence.

Over the course of four weeks, the university studied the moods of 13 male and 28 female college students. The students were split into three groups. The first group was assigned to take a smiling selfie. The second group was told to take a photo of something that would make them happy. The third group was tasked with taking a photo of something they believed would make another person happy.

Each person recorded his or her mood before and after taking the daily photo. While all groups experienced improvements in happiness, many students in group one admitted to feeling more comfortable with their smile and feeling less stressed after participating in the experiment.

This new information does not come as a surprise to many selfie takers who feel an obvious boost of confidence with their photos.

“I usually take selfies after getting ready to go out,” said Lizette Lopez, sophomore, “It’s important to feel good about yourself and sharing photos is an easy way to do that.”

According to psych2go.net, other surveys have revealed that 65 percent of respondents said seeing their selfies on social media helped boost their self-esteem.

“I don’t take selfies very often, but when I do I usually post them on Instagram,” said Erick Velasquez, sophomore, “They make me feel good about myself, especially if my hair comes out nice.”

The new study highlights the effect that a society heavily influenced by social media has on one’s mental health.