Science & Tech

Here's the reason why your annoying Facebook friend is so annoying

Do you know someone who spends all their time on Facebook? This could be why.

New research suggests there are two main kinds of Facebook user: people who are more anxious and post to get attention, and extroverts who are less concerned with how they are perceived.

To find this out, psychologists surveyed nearly 600 people aged between 18-83 about their use site in a study published in the journal of Personality and Individual Differences. The study suggests anxious people tend to use Facebook as a tool to seek reassurance, and their frequent activity is designed to get attention.

"They report feeling much better about themselves when they get a lot of comments, likes and other feedback on their posts and worse about themselves when their Facebook activity generates little attention,” Joshua Hart, associate professor of psychology and the lead author of the study said.

"These studies are consistent with many people's intuitions that some individuals use Facebook to fulfil emotional and relationship needs that are unmet in the 'real' world.”

More: People using Facebook don't realise they're on the internetMore: Attachment theory as a framework for explaining engagement with Facebook

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