ABC News

Facebook: Where Narcissists Connect?

Facebook Encourages Self-Promotion in Most of Us, Experts Say

Some Facebook members don't even have 100 friends. Scott Bradley once made that many in a day.

Popular Facebook game taken down after Scrabble maker sues.

The recent college graduate's personal page boasts 2,100 friends, thousands of wall posts, dozens of homemade videos and links to eight personal Web sites.

In addition to a personal blog, a quote blog and a networking advice blog, he also maintains a YouTube channel and a Twitter account.

Bradley says that he's a "social media evangelist."

But the findings of a new University of Georgia psychology study suggest that he might fit the profile of a narcissist.

Study Says Narcissism Can Be Detected on Facebook

"Simply put, narcissists are people who think they're pretty great. ... They think they're more attractive, more intelligent, more unique and entitled to special treatment," said Lauren Buffardi, a University of Georgia graduate student and lead author of a study that will be published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin next month.

"They're well-liked upon initial meetings, but have more difficulty maintaining warm and intimate relationships," she said.

By surveying 130 Facebook users, analyzing their pages and asking untrained strangers to assess the users' pages, Buffardi and associate professor W. Keith Campbell found that the number of Facebook friends and wall posts that people have on their profile pages correlates with narcissism.

NEXT >
Next Story: Apple's New Tablet: How Will Jobs Prove It's Worth Buying?
Comment & Contribute

Do you have more information about this topic? If so, please click here to contact the editors of ABC News.

More Coverage
Watch Video
1 2 3 4 5
Ahead of the Curve News
Slideshows
1 2 3 4 5