Taking selfies can be linked to happiness, says study, so continue snapping away

Wanna take a selfie? Go right ahead – we dare not judge you because a new study highlights a link between selfies and happiness. Basically, if you’re incessantly camera happy, then you’re more likely to become just as cheery when you’re not staring seductively into the lens for a fab selfie that shows off your artistic side.

The results of a study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, were recently published in Psychology of Well-Being and what it reveals after observing 41 college students for four weeks has us frantically searching for the perfect lighting, squinching and testing out our most flattering angles.

So, the students in the study were tasked with using a smartphone app to report their moods three times a day during the first week, followed by a three-week period in which they were grouped into three categories: those who took smiling selfies; those who snapped photos of something that made them happy; and finally, those tasked with photographing something pleasant and sharing it with someone they thought it would make happy.

One would think the report at least includes one case of selfie elbow, but the results are – you guessed it – overwhelmingly happy.

Science Daily broke down the selfie study findings:

Researchers collected nearly 2,900 mood measurements during the study and found that subjects in all three groups experienced increased positive moods. Some participants in the selfie group reported becoming more confident and comfortable with their smiling photos over time. The students taking photos of objects that made them happy became more reflective and appreciative. And those who took photos to make others happy became calmer and said that the connection to their friends and family helped relieve stress.

OK, so can we just stop all the selfie slander? They obviously make people feel good and as long as you’re not doing the absolute most to take a standout selfie, it’s totally fine by us.

The next time you see someone in mid-selfie, resist the urge to smirk. Instead, give ’em a smile. Odds are you might get one back in return.