That friend of yours who is constantly updating her/his profile pic with their significant other might be compensating for something lacking in the relationship. According to the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin Journal,
The present set of studies investigates relationship visibility, the centrality of relationships in the self-images that people convey to others … On a daily basis, when people felt more insecure about their partner’s feelings, they tended to make their relationships visible (Study 3). These studies highlight the role of relationships in how people portray themselves to others.
Facebook posts usually show the best side of people’s lives, including their romantic ones. Showing friends on Facebook the best possible life may make one feel better about their romantic relationship; perhaps some desperately need the approval of others to validate their own lives. Self-introspection of why this need persists is a very difficult journey many are too frightened to embark upon.
It’s easier to live behind the facade of “having the best time ever” with a perfectly filtered picture. Spending time in the somewhat toxic world of social media isn’t going to increase the value of any human relationship, but it will do wonders for the relationship with the real bff–Facebook.
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