Study: Women Who Base Self Worth on Appearance Tend to Share More Photographs on Facebook

A study led by University at Buffalo researcher Michael A. Stefanone, PhD, found that females who base their self worth on their appearance tend to share the most photographs online. The study also found these women tend to maintain larger networks on online social networking sites. The study also found that women share five times as many photographs online as men.

In the study, 311 participants with an average age of 23.3 years -- 49.8 percent of whom were female -- completed a questionnaire measuring their contingencies of self worth. The subjects were also queried as to their typical behaviors on Facebook.

Stefanone says, "Those whose self esteem is based on public-based contingencies (defined here as others' approval, physical appearance and outdoing others in competition) were more involved in online photo sharing, and those whose self-worth is most contingent on appearance have a higher intensity of online photo sharing."

Stefanone also noted that the women in this study who base their self worth on appearance were also are the most prolific photo sharers. Take a look:

Posted on March 19, 2011

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Study: Women Who Base Self Worth on Appearance Tend to Share More Photographs on Facebook