We all know that one couple. You know who we’re talking about – they clog your news feed with their daily displays of affection, with each post a maze of ‘#treatsmesowell’ hashtags and smiling selfies with some body of water in the background. Now don’t get us wrong – we love a good heartwarming post that gives us the warm and fuzzies, but when it’s getting in the way of our wine gifs and Ryan Gosling galleries, we’re going to get annoyed.
New research has revealed some facts on the link between gushy posts and relationship security, with the report finding that individuals who are insecure in their relationship tend to use social media posts to validate it. The research, published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, examines the psychological reasoning behind what the authors call behind “relationship visibility” and how it manifests on social media.
“On days when people felt more insecure about their partner’s feelings than they typically do, they posted more relationship-relevant information on Facebook,” states the report. “These studies highlight the role of relationships in how people portray themselves to others.”
“Avoidant individuals showed low desire for relationship visibility, whereas anxious individuals reported high desired visibility”. In other words according to this study, if you’ve ever spotted someone posting countless sappy pictures of them and their hashtag bae, they’re just anxious about their relationship status.
So before you hit the unfriend button because you’ve had enough of selfies of them and their significant other, maybe consider sending them a message.
Article written by Alison Donnellan
