Narcissistic or neurotic? What your Facebook updates say about you

Study found that people with certain personality types update their walls in specific ways

Update: 2015-05-26 08:24 GMT
Facebook has now opened itself up to third-party developers in an attempt to increase its engagement with users and its customer base

London: A team of researchers has revealed what Facebook updates say about the users.

The Brunel University study, which analysed 555 online surveys taken by regular Facebook users, found people with certain personality types like extroversion, openness, narcissism, neuroticism and conscientiousness, updated their walls in specific ways, the Independent reported.

Extroverts were found to post frequently about social events and neurotic personalities, who are motivated by a need for "validation," were likelier to post personal status updates, while "open" individuals were found not to share personal information but instead primarily updated their Facebook status about "events, research, or their political views."

Researchers found that "conscientiousness" individuals mostly posted about their children, with the studying suggesting perhaps such updates reflect an indirect form of competitive parenting.

Those with low self-esteem frequently posted about their romantic partner but were not as likely as Neurotic types to use the network as a means of validation.

The study hypothesised that people are more likely to post relationship-relevant information on Facebook on days when they feel insecure, adding it was "reasonable" to assume they did so as a way to "claim" their relationship.

Finally, narcissistic personalities were found to broadcast their diet and exercise routine to express the personal importance they place on physical appearance above the control variables that researchers placed on the study.

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