Love them or hate them, selfies have become a staple of social-media culture. Now a new study suggests that the ubiquitous smartphone self portraits don’t just have psychological implications for the people taking them; they can also have a real impact on their friends and followers, as well.

According to Penn State University researchers, viewing frequent selfies is linked to a decrease in self-esteem and life satisfaction. Their findings come from an online survey of 225 social media users with an average age of 33, 80 percent of whom were active on Facebook. The participants also used sites like Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Tumblr, and Tinder.  

We tend to compare ourselves to others when we see these photos—often carefully curated photos—the authors wrote about their findings, which can lead to feelings of loneliness, exclusion, or disappointment with our own lives.

Somewhat surprisingly, the researchers did not find any connection between posting frequency and self-esteem or life satisfaction. (Other research, however, has suggested that the quest for the perfect photo can seriously undermine real-life happiness.)

In this study, viewing behavior seemed to be more important: The more people were exposed to selfies from other people, the lower their levels of self-esteem and life satisfaction. 

"People usually post selfies when they're happy or having fun," said co-author and mass communications graduate student Ruoxu Wang, in a press release. "This makes it easy for someone else to look at these pictures and think … his or her life is not as great as theirs."

When the researchers broke their results down based on personality traits, they did find one exception. People who expressed a strong desire to appear popular actually got self-esteem and life-satisfaction boosts from viewing selfies. Doing so may somehow satisfy their need for popularity, the researchers say, although the reason why isn’t entirely clear.

The study results also found a difference between selfies and “groupies,” or selfie-style pictures featuring more than one person. On average, looking at groupies seemed to improve self-esteem and life satisfaction for participants. That’s probably because the viewers themselves may be included in these groupies, the authors wrote, strengthening their sense of community and inclusion.

This research is important, says co-author and mass communications graduate student Ruoxu Wang, because it examines a lesser-understood angle of social-media culture. "Most of the research done on social network sites looks at the motivation for posting and liking content, but we're now starting to look at the effect of viewing behavior," said Wang in a press release.

And the findings suggest that even just “lurking”—the act of observing what others post on social media, rather than “liking” posts or contributing content of one’s own—can have a real effect on how people view themselves…

Photo: Ryan Kelly / Daily Burn 365

When you hit the weight room in pursuit of strong, toned arms, bicep curls and tricep extensions might be your go-to moves. But there’s an equally important muscle group to add into the rotation: your shoulders.

“Shoulder strength and stability are integral to practically all arm movements, plus almost every chest and back movement,” says Cheri Paige Fogleman, a trainer on Daily Burn 365. “Having strong shoulders also ensures success when strengthening biceps, triceps, chest and back muscles.” Translation: Build sculpted shoulders and you’ll help strengthen your entire upper body as well.

Stronger shoulders will also make it easier to carry out daily tasks—from picking up your kids or groceries to reaching for a glass in the cabinet. But there’s a catch: You need to work your shoulders from multiple angles. While push-ups will do wonders for muscles in the front of the shoulder, Fogleman says, you shouldn’t stop there.

On your next arm day, skip the standard push-up and add these five new shoulder exercises to your line-up. They work every section of your shoulders—backside included (which people often miss)—so you get 360 degrees stronger.

RELATED: 7 Benefits of Strength Training That Go Beyond Buff Arms

5 Shoulder Exercises to Strengthen Your Upper Body

These bodyweight moves can easily incorporate dumbbells. Fogleman suggests doing higher reps if you’re skipping the weights. If you’re more advanced and going for increased resistance, Fogleman recommends starting will three-pound dumbbells. “The moves should be more challenging, but not suddenly impossible,” she says. Perform 10 to 12 reps of each, rest, then repeat this circuit once or twice for a full upper body burn.

Photo: Ryan Kelly / Daily Burn 365

1. Staggered Shoulder Press
By leaning forward in this move, you hit the tough-to-reach back of the shoulders, along with your core and back muscles. Just remember to avoid slouching and keep a neutral spine.
How to: From a standing position, step one foot behind you so you’re in a high lunge. Front knee should be bent about 45 degrees (a). Lean forward at the hips, keeping your back straight. Bring your arms up to shoulder height, bent at the elbows and palms facing in (b). Extend your arms overhead until they’re completely straight (c). Bend them back to shoulder height and repeat. Switch your footing halfway through or on the next round.

RELATED: 3 Quick HIIT Workouts for Beginners

Photo: Ryan Kelly / Daily Burn 365

2. Plank to Renegade Row
While shoulders are your main focus on this move, bonus points come from working your back and core, too. If you really want to fire up your midsection, keep your hips totally stable. Feeling unsteady? Step your legs wider apart or drop to your knees…

The confidence that comes with a good hair day is immeasurable, but achieving a flawless style takes some know-how. That's why Alli Webb opened Drybar—a chain of salons offering only blowouts—in 2010, and never looked back. Now in her new book, The Drybar Guide to Good Hair For All ($17, amazon.com), Webb is divulging her tips and tricks to scoring the perfect blowout every day. In the excerpt below, she answers eight questions she hears from women all the time, to set the record straight on oily hair, frizz, and more.

Why does my hair get greasy so fast?

Could be a few things. It could be that you naturally produce a fair amount of oil and might benefit from a double wash every once in a while. Or maybe you didn’t rinse your conditioner completely out. But one common cause of hair feeling greasy before its time is overdoing it with product. With the exception of volumizing products, most styling aids should not be used near your root area. When they are, natural oils from your scalp plus whatever you are using add up to that greasy feeling you’re talking about.

P.S. Overwashing will also make your hair produce more oil. Try to wash at least every other day.

How do I combat frizz?

Well, first and foremost, make sure your hair is 100 percent dry, smooth, and sealed before you walk out the door. If your hair is even a little damp, it is sure to frizz up over the course of the day. Also, try to keep a travel-size hairspray, pomade, or cream in your purse—product is your hero when it comes to fighting frizz.

RELATED: 16 Hair Myths You Need to Stop Believing

How can I stop the flyaways around my face and part when hairspray doesn’t totally solve the problem?

Flyaways, or, as I like to call them, antennae, come from overworking your bangs or overstretching very wet hair. We all have baby hairs, especially around the face, so always rough-dry the roots a little to allow those baby hairs to settle down, then grab your brush to start styling.

My round brush always gets stuck in my hair. What gives?

Are your sections small enough? I can’t stress enough the importance of working in clean 1- to 2-inch sections and making sure the hair on the brush isn’t exceeding the size of the brush barrel. Perfecting each section before moving on to the next is the absolute key to a great, no-frizz blowout.

How frequently should you trim your hair if you want to grow it out?

This is an age-old debate. I say trim it—and by trim I mean a very sight dusting—every four to six weeks. You don’t want those frayed ends snapping off every time you blow out your hair.

How hot is too hot for the flat iron?

I think a good rule of thumb with all tools is to keep the heat on a lower setting (300 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit) if your hair is damaged or very processed. Make sure you always use a heat protectant and don’t leave an iron in your hair for more than a few seconds…