Mental Health
Exploring the Posting of Nude Photographs on Reddit in Relation to Self-Esteem, Perceived Attractiveness, Narcissism, and Sensation Seeking.
Open Access: No.
Abstract
While many scholars have explored the sharing of nude photographs one-to-one (i.e., sexting), few have examined the sharing of nudity in a one-to-many context. The current study examined the sharing of nude photographs on Reddit, framing the practice as an act of disinhibited online behavior. A survey (n = 628) was conducted to assess whether Redditors levels of sensation seeking, self-esteem, perceived attractiveness, and narcissism would be related to whether or not they posted nude photographs on the site. Results indicated that posting nudity on Reddit was significantly associated with higher perceived attractiveness and narcissism, but not sensation seeking or self-esteem. The role of gender and sexual orientation in the posting of nudity online was also assessed, and an overrepresentation of nude content produced by females and bisexual persons, as well as an underrepresentation of nude content produced by males and heterosexuals, was found. Findings are discussed in relation to self-concept, sexual health, and the online disinhibition effect.
Relevance
People – according to this study, mainly women and gender minorities – who post nudes to Reddit “perceived themselves to be significantly more attractive than those who reported never to have posted nude photographs” and they also had “significantly higher leves of narcissism.”
Citation
Miller, B. (2022). Exploring the Posting of Nude Photographs on Reddit in Relation to Self-Esteem, Perceived Attractiveness, Narcissism, and Sensation Seeking. Archives of sexual behavior, 51(6), 3083–3092. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02301-y
