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On this episode of Forever 39, we tell you what type of selfies need to retire, which ones we love, and why some people are so obsessed with taking them.

The term selfitis was coined in 2014, according to a report by PetaPixel, when a fake news claimed that the American Psychiatric Association determined selfitis to be a new mental disorder.

And while the story was fake, a team of researchers set out to study whether selfiits is indeed a real thing. Well, it is.

According to a report by The Telegraph, researchers from the Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom and the Thiagarajar School of Management in India created nearly two-dozen statements that they used to determine a person's level of selfitis.

Some of the statements, according to PetaPixel, including things like: I become more positive about myself when I take selfies or I gain more acceptance among my peer group when I take a selfie and share it on social media. From the statements, the researchers were able to determine a person's level of selfitis:

  • Borderline - this describes a person that takes at least three photos of themselves, but doesn't post them online
  • Acute - this describes a person that snaps at least three selfies a day and also posts them on their social media pages
  • Chronic - this describes someone that takes and posts more than six pictures of themselves a day

Of the 225 participants in the study, the researchers found that over 25 percent suffered from chronic selfitis, according to PetaPixel. The majority, 40.5 percent, were considered actue, and 34 percent were determined to have borderline selfitis.

So there you have it, selfitis is a real thing.

Also from this week's Forever 39 podcast — Could your salary determine how much you pay to fly? PLUS: Is it better to rent or own in New Jersey? Click on the podcast player above to hear the entire episode. Share your thoughts on all of them below, on Twitter, on Facebook or at forever39@nj1015.com.

— Annette and Megan, Forever 39

Join us for next week's podcast when we discuss driving behaviors in New Jersey, annoying co-workers, and the decline of friendly neighbors.

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