SELFIES create happier memories than normal snaps, researchers say.
Including yourself in the photograph evokes stronger emotions, they believe.
GettySelfies create happier memories than regular photographs, study reveals[/caption]
Showing how we looked or felt at the moment a selfie was taken was found to give the picture a bigger meaning.
The findings are from analysis of surveys in which people were asked whether they took a photo to capture a meaning or an experience and then how happy they were with that picture.
Those trying to get to the deeper meaning of a trip, place or event said they were more pleased with photos they had included themselves in.
And those who wanted to document a physical experience were more likely to be happy with a normal camera photo.
Researcher Dr Zachary Niese, from the University of Tübingen in Germany, said: “Sometimes there is derision about photo-taking in popular culture.
“But personal photos have the potential to help people reconnect to their past experiences.”
Prof Lisa Libby, of Ohio State University, added: “Photos with you in them can document the bigger meaning of a moment — it doesn’t have to be vanity.”
Typically, we take more than 450 selfies a year, according to previous studies.
Dr Niese said posting selfies on social media might go deeper than just showing off.
He added: “It appears people are curating images for themselves to look back on the experience or the meaning of the event.”