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People who constantly check and update their Facebook profiles are more likely to be narcissists, according to a study by York University in Canada.

Researcher Soraya Mehdizadeh conducted a survey of the social networking habits of 50 male and 50 female York students aged 18 to 25, to identify the amount of time each participant spent on Facebook and the number of checks and updates they carried out each day. 

She then screened participants' profiles for evidence of narcissistic tendencies, such as a posed or image-doctored profile picture, self-aggrandising status updates, mottos and quotes, and posting flattering results from applications such as their celebrity lookalikes and online quizzes on their Facebook wall.

Mehdizadeh finally carried out a survey of the students' self esteem according to the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and identified a positive correlation between frequent use of Facebook and cases both of narcissism and low self esteem.

She also identified a difference in the way men and women promote themselves via the forum. According to the findings, women are more likely to advertise their assets visually, by selecting an attractively posed or particularly revealing profile photo, whilst men will more often show off verbally with egocentric wall posts and boastful personal information.

The study was published last month in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.

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