Selfie Obsession 我們為啥愛自拍？

It's easy： flip1） the view2） on your phone and hold it at a high angle， making your eyes look bigger and your cheekbones more defined3）. Position your thumb over the button， turn to your best side and click.

The art of the selfie is one that lots of people have practiced and perfected in recent years. Seriously， lots. According to a study， more than 90% of teens have posted a photo of themselves online. You're not alone： celebrities like Miley Cyrus， Rihanna and Justin Bieber are perpetual4） selfie posters， as you've likely noticed. And when even the Mars rover5） is programmed to be able to take photos of itself， you know selfies are more than just a trend. They're here to stay.

Part of the reason for their popularity？ \"The cult6） of the selfie celebrates7） regular people，\" says Pamela Rutledge， Ph.D.， faculty director of the media psychology program at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. \"There are many more photographs available now of real people than models.\" And posting selfies is an empowering act for another reason： it allows you to control your image online. \"I am painfully self-conscious8） about photos of myself，\" admits Samantha， 19， from Missouri. \"I like having the power to choose how I look， even if I'm making a funny face.\"

But let's be real： the most common selfie is the one where you look cute， partially because it's a quick way to get positive comments about your appearance. \"If I feel pretty， I take one，\" says Maryland， native Paris， 23. \"When other people Like9） it， it's a mini boost10） of confidence.\"

Sure， showing off a new outfit or that you're at a cool event is fun， but it can be a slippery slope11）. Psychologist Jill Weber， Ph.D.， says there's a danger that your self-esteem12） may start to be tied to the comments and Likes you get when you post a selfie， and they aren't based on who you are—they're based on what you look like. On one hand， seeking validation13） is totally normal， Dr. Weber explains： \"It's a healthy way for teenagers to develop their identity.\" But with social networks， where it's easy to get quick hits of approval almost constantly， the selfie thing can quickly spiral14） out of control. It may even start to feel like an addiction： when you get a \"GORGE\"， you're up， but when you get nothing—or a \"get over yourself\"—your confidence can plummet15）. Girls in particular are socialized toward seeing themselves as lovable and worthwhile only if others value them， Dr. Weber notes， and \"selfie culture is a way for this tendency to go into overdrive16）\".

That could be one explanation for total selfie overload. \"My friends and I joke about people who have selfies as their cell phone backgrounds，\" says Cora， 17， from Massachusetts. \"It seems like they have nothing important in their lives other than the way they look， which is pretty shallow.\" But according to Dr. Weber， there's more to it than that. \"In my experience， girls who repeatedly post selfies struggle with low self-esteem，\" she says.

Overall， opinions vary on whether selfie culture is lame17） or legit18）， which means it's up to you to shape the future of the habit. Ask yourself： are my selfies for fun， or do I need the comments？ If you fall under category two， Dr. Rutledge recommends shifting your perspective19）. That could mean cutting selfies out entirely or just scaling back20） and making them more fun. Bottom line？ Everything you share on social media reveals something about you， and you are in control. So maybe you like to travel， or read， or dance， or create crazy 3D nail art ... post that！ Take it from us： it's so much more interesting.

自拍很簡單：翻轉你手機上的取景框，然后把手機舉到一個較高的角度，好讓你的眼睛顯得更大，顴骨輪廓顯得更加分明。把你的大拇指對著按鈕，轉動身體秀出你最好看的一面，然后按下按鈕。

近幾年來，許多人都對自拍技巧進行了練習與提升。我是說真的，這樣的人有很多。一項研究表明，90%以上的青少年都在網上曬過自拍照。這樣的人可不止你一個：正如你可能已經注意到的那樣，像麥莉·賽勒斯、蕾哈娜和賈斯汀·比伯這樣的名人也一直都在曬自拍照。甚至當“火星漫游者”都被設定了能給自己拍照的程序時，你就知道自拍已經不僅僅是流行一時的趨勢了，它將長期存在下去。

自拍如此受歡迎的部分原因是什么呢？“自拍的盛行宣揚了普通人，”麻省職業心理學學院媒體心理學課程的負責人帕梅拉·拉特利奇博士說，“如今在網上可以看得到很多現實生活中的人的照片，它們比模特的照片要多得多。”而曬自拍照能給人以力量的另一個原因在于，它讓你能掌控自己在網上的形象。“我對自己的照片感到特別不自在，”來自密蘇里州19歲的薩曼莎承認，“我喜歡我能選擇自己在照片上是什么樣子，即使是我在做鬼臉。”

不過，我們還是實際一點吧：最常見的自拍照都是那種你在其中看起來很漂亮的照片，部分原因就在于這種照片能讓你很快就得到別人對你容貌的正面評價。“如果我覺得自己很漂亮，我就會自拍一張，”土生土長的巴黎人、23歲的馬里蘭說，“當別人給我的這張照片點贊時，我的自信心就會得到小小的提升。”

炫耀你穿了一身新衣服或者你在參加一個很棒的活動，這的確很有意思，但它卻有可能讓你滑向失敗的深淵。心理學家吉爾·韋伯博士說，這里存在著這樣一種危險：當你曬出一張自拍照時，你的自尊心就有可能開始被你所收到的評論與點贊牽著走，并且這些評論與點贊并不是基于你的為人，而是基于你的外貌。一方面，尋求認同是完全正常的，韋伯博士解釋說：“這是一種能使青少年發展自我個性的健康方式。”然而，由于在各類社交網絡中很容易就能得到迅速且幾乎沒完沒了的點贊，所以自拍這種東西可能會快速蔓延到失控的地步。你甚至可能會開始有上癮一般的感覺：當你收到一條內容為“棒極了”的評論，你會喜不自禁，而當你發現沒人給你評論或點贊——或收到一條內容為“別自以為是了”的評論——你的自信心就有可能急劇下滑。韋伯博士注意到，女孩兒們尤其會受到影響，她們傾向于只有當別人重視自己時，才覺得自己可愛并有價值，而“自拍文化使這種趨勢愈演愈烈”。

這可能是對整個自拍照泛濫現狀的一種解釋。“我和朋友們喜歡拿那些用自拍照做手機背景的人開玩笑，”17歲的科拉來自馬薩諸塞州，她說，“似乎她們的生活里除了自己的相貌以外就沒有其他重要的事情了，這太膚淺了。”但在韋伯博士看來，事情并非那么簡單。“從我的經驗來看，經常曬自拍照的女孩都被自卑所困擾。”她說。

總的來說，人們對自拍文化是否站得住腳有著不同的看法，這意味著自拍這種習慣的未來將由你來決定。問問你自己：我自拍是為了好玩，還是說我需要那些評論呢？如果你屬于第二類，拉特利奇博士的建議是改變一下你對自拍的看法。那可能意味著完全戒掉自拍或只是適當減少自拍次數并使自拍變得更加有趣。底線是什么？就是你在社交媒體上分享的每一張照片都能展示你的某個方面，而且你能掌控這一切。或許你喜歡旅游、閱讀、跳舞，或者設計酷炫的3D立體美甲……那就曬出這些照片吧！相信我們，那會有意思得多！

1.flip [fl?p] vt. （快速地）轉動，翻動

2.view [vju?] n. 取景框

3.define [d??fa?n] vt. 使……的輪廓分明

4.perpetual [p??pet?u?l] adj. 持續的；長期的

5.Mars rover： 火星漫游者，美國宇航局（NASA）向火星發射的探測器。rover [?r??v?（r）] n. 漫游者

6.cult [k?lt] n. 風行；流行；崇拜

7.celebrate [?sel?bre?t] vt. 贊揚，贊美

8.self-conscious [?self?k?n??s] adj. （因顧慮自己的外表或他人對自己的看法而）局促不安的；難為情的；不自在的

9.Like [la?k] n. 點贊數

10.boost [bu?st] n. 提高；增強

11.slippery slope： 使人滑向深淵的斜坡；導致最終失敗的行為

12.self-esteem [?self??sti?m] n. 自尊（心）

13.validation [?v?l??de??n] n. 認可；認同