Sorry, Selfie Lovers. Science Has Bad News for You.

不好意思，自拍狂们，科学家带来了一个坏消息

Think the world loves your selfies as much as you do? Not exactly.

你以为全世界都像你一样喜欢自拍？错了。

It’s become something of a ritual for many of us. When you’ve binge-watched everything on Netflix and you’re tired of online shopping, you head to the bathroom to don your very best makeup. Your goal is clear; to get the perfect selfie for Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat… Or, more likely, all of the above. After perfecting your eyeliner and curling your lashes, you’re ready. You hold up your phone, pout those lips real tight, and, in an instant, snap.

这正在成为很多人的一种仪式。当你在网飞上疯狂刷剧，眼花缭乱地网购后，径直走向卫生间，精致地化出最美的妆容。你的目标很明确，那就是拍一张完美的自拍，然后上传Facebook，Instagram或Snapchat，大多数情况是每个平台都要上传一张。在勾勒出完美的眼线，夹出卷翘的睫毛后，万事俱备，只欠东风。你拿起手机，撅起嘴巴，咔擦一张，搞定！

But wait, have you ever wondered what’s behind your burning desire to self-document? Most people would say that this is a form of expression or perhaps even a way of boosting their self-esteem. Whatever your reasons may be, the moment you upload that picture, it’s no longer yours to judge. Instead, you pass over that immense power to the online world.

但是等等，你有没有想过你疯狂沉迷自拍的背后是什么？大多数人会说这是一种情感表达的形式，或是一种增强自尊心的方式。无论你的原因是什么，你上传照片的那一刻后，一切都不由你自己评判了，你将这项权利交给了网络世界。

While you may think that your ever-growing collection of selfies endears people to you, quite the opposite may be true. That is, at least, according to a recent study, conducted by Sarah Diefenbach, a professor at Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich and published in Frontiers in Psychology. Diefenbach surveyed a total of 238 people in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland to find out how many people regularly take and upload selfies and what they thought when others did the same thing.

你可能认为你不断更新的自拍动态让人们对你心生好感，但事实可能恰好相反。至少，在最近发表在《心理前沿》杂志上，由Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich的教授Sarah Diefenbach开展的研究中，她研究了来自奥地利、德国和瑞士的238人，调查他们其中经常上传自拍的人数，以及当他们看到其他人的自拍时他们的想法。

Rather unsurprisingly, a massive 77 percent of the people surveyed admitted to indulging in regularly taking selfies. What was more interesting, though, was the fact that an astounding 82 percent of people said that they would rather see fewer selfies on social media. Diefenbach calls this the ‘selfie paradox’: the idea that we like taking selfies but seriously dislike looking at other people’s selfies online.

不出所料地，其中77%的人承认他们沉迷于自拍。但是更有趣的是，居然有82%的人说他们希望在社交媒体上看到少一些自拍。Diefenbach教授称这种现象为“自拍悖论”，即我们自己沉迷自拍，却很不喜欢在网络上看到他人的自拍。

The research didn’t just delve into whether we want to see selfies, but also looked at how we view our own selfies as opposed to those of others. According to the results, people tend to see the selfies they take as “self-ironic” and “authentic,” whereas they think that other people’s selfies as “less authentic” and more “self-presentational.”

这项研究并不仅停留在我们是否想看到自拍的问题上，还调查了我们如何看待我们公开发布的自拍。结果显示，人们认为自己的自拍带着“自嘲”和“真实”，而其他人的自拍则是“虚假”和“做作”。

In short, this research suggests that there is a massive gulf of difference between how we see our own selfies and how we judge other people’s pictures. It suggests that we are comfortable with the selfies we post since we believe they are obviously not serious or vain, but we think everyone else is an utter egotist for doing the very same thing.

简而言之，这项研究显示我们看待自己和他人的自拍的态度截然不同。我们很满意自己的自拍，因为它们显然不那么正经，带着自我调侃的感觉，但我们认为其他人的自拍完全是做作的摆拍。

“This may explain how everybody can take selfies without feeling narcissistic. If most people think like this, then it is no wonder that the world is full of selfies,” explains Diefenbach. So, as illogical as it sounds, this could be why we unashamedly post selfies and then judge other people for doing so. Somehow, we are able to separate our own selfies from the sea of them online and naively think that ours are the only authentic ones.

“这可以解释每个人如何自拍而不自恋的现象。如果每个人都自我沉醉，那这个世界毫无疑问会充满了自拍。”Diefenbach教授解释道。因此，虽然听上去很不合逻辑，但这可能就是我们毫不羞耻地发自拍，然后评价他人的照片的原因。某种程度上，我们把自己的自拍和网上铺天盖地的自拍分开了，天真的认为我们的自拍是唯一真实的。

So, the next time you idly reach for your phone and flick through the filters, consider this: The people around you may not need another carefully planned snap of your face. Instead, you might be better off, giving it a break and calling off the selfie photo shoot today. While you’re at it, make sure you never post these pictures on social media either.

因此，下次当你闲着无聊拿起手机，寻找滤镜时，想想你周围的人也许不想看到又一张精修过的脸。相反，让它休息一下，今天停下自拍的惯例，生活会变得更好。不过，当你这样做的时候，请确保你也不会把休息的照片发布在社交媒体上哦~

翻译：MS小冰晶