Selfie Addiction Test (SBS)

The concept of selfitis began as an internet satire in 2014, when a hoax article claimed the American Psychiatric Association had classified obsessive selfie-taking as a genuine mental disorder with borderline, acute, and chronic stages. Although the story was entirely fabricated, researchers Janarthanan Balakrishnan and Mark D. Griffiths realized that the underlying behavior warranted empirical investigation. To explore whether the drive to take and post self-portraits reflected measurable psychological patterns, they gathered insights from focus groups with 225 university students and developed the Selfitis Behavior Scale (SBS), which was subsequently validated across 400 participants.

Rather than treating selfie-taking as a single habit, the SBS measures six distinct motives that explain why people reach for the camera. The first three capture external and relational motivations. Making Memories reflects environmental enhancement, where taking selfies helps people enjoy their surroundings, express themselves, and create lasting personal trophies of an experience. Social Competition involves using selfies to engage in friendly rivalry with peers, raise one's social standing, and collect reactions such as likes and comments. Attention Seeking captures the expectation of peer appraisal, where posting self-portraits serves as an avenue to gain visibility and feel popular.

The remaining three motives explore internal emotional states and group belonging. Mood Boosting captures what researchers term mood modification—the subjective experience of taking selfies to alleviate stress, brighten one's spirits, and feel instantly happier. Self Confidence reflects the way taking or privately reviewing personal photos can foster self-admiration and enhance how positive someone feels about their appearance and self-worth. Finally, Fitting In addresses subjective conformity, reflecting the implicit pressure to follow group norms, secure peer acceptance, and avoid feeling detached or excluded when others are actively sharing selfies.

In their published findings, Balakrishnan and Griffiths observed that different motives characterize different levels of selfie engagement. Participants categorized with chronic selfitis exhibited particularly high scores on social competition and attention seeking, suggesting that those with an intense urge to post frequently use creative tactics to satisfy competitive social needs. Meanwhile, fitting in differed the most of all six motives across the three levels, and peaked in the middle, acute group, which suggests that peer acceptance matters most to people who post their selfies but have not yet made it a constant habit.

The average your result is compared with is an approximate point of reference from the original research sample of 400 Indian university students, all of whom regularly took selfies. These figures are not standardized percentile rankings or validated norms for the general global population. Because the source sample consisted entirely of active young selfie-takers, your scores should be viewed as an exploratory snapshot compared to that specific group rather than an absolute measure of where you stand relative to the public.

Finally, this assessment is provided strictly for educational and entertainment purposes. It is not a clinical evaluation or diagnostic instrument; indeed, the authors themselves noted that the SBS does not specifically assess selfie addiction as an established psychological disorder, nor is selfitis recognized by diagnostic manuals. This test is based on the Selfitis Behavior Scale (SBS) but is not affiliated with Balakrishnan, Griffiths, or their respective academic institutions. If you ever feel that your digital habits or social media routines are causing personal distress, consider discussing them with a qualified mental health professional.

References

• Balakrishnan, J. & Griffiths, M. D. (2018). An Exploratory Study of “Selfitis” and the Development of the Selfitis Behavior Scale. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 16(3), 722-736.

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