Selfie Wrinkles: New Study shows the long term effects of taking selfies
With the onslaught of technology in previous decades “selfies”, or self-portraits taken typically with a smart phone, have become commonplace. Social media websites like face book, instagram, and the like serve as platforms, in some ways seemingly designed for “selfies”. From everyday users to celebrities, taking self-portraits to document our most exciting moments has been a lasting trend.
This particular trend has been and has become so popular in fact that we are beginning to see the lasting effects of such habits. Similar to the recently released phenomena of “techneck”, there is a rising concern for increased forehead wrinkles due to the typical “selfie” expression.
“Techneck” has been said by experts to be lines across the neck that develop due to a constant habit of staring down at our phones, tablets, and other tech devises. Recent studies show similar results in the taking of “selfies” using these same devises.
A typical stance and expression for what is perceived as an attractive picture, is to hold the device above oneself so as to highlight the eyes and in some cases to show a view or activity behind the individual taking the photo. Because of this position, the subject will tend to wrinkle the forehead in order to look up into the camera. After repetition of this action, and sometimes repeatedly until the desired photo is taken, the face creates wrinkles in the targeted area.
The happening should seem familiar from smile lines and crows feet. The difference here is that the wrinkles are not becoming visible due to natural use of the face and natural emotions like joy or stress. Rather, these wrinkles are becoming present through repeated artificial expression.
These forehead wrinkles have already evolved from an expression purely for the purpose of taking a photo of one-self. Now the expression in some cases has become one that is perceived as attractive and is continually utilized even when another person takes a photo of the subject.
Technology, and subsequently “selfies” in this case, are coming with it’s own set of baggage that is beginning to show it’s long term affects on users. Experts speculate about new products and procedures to aid in this aging process, as well as raise concerns about possible more serious ramifications of constant technology use.
