If you have lots of Facebook friends, it doesn’t mean you’re popular (it means something much worse)

People who have hundreds of Facebook friends might imagine that their incredible collection of human beings proves once and for all that they’re popular.

But actually, people with large numbers of Facebook friends tend to share one characteristic: they’re materialistic.

Much as materialistic people like to ‘collect’ possessions from electronics to art, they also like to ‘collect’ Facebook friends.

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People who are materialistic also have an urge to compare themselves with other people on Facebook.

Researchers from Ruhr-University Bochum conducted online questionnaires with 242 Facebook users.

‘Materialistic people use Facebook more frequently because they tend to objectify their Facebook friends – they acquire Facebook friends to increase their possession,’ said lead author Phillip Ozimek.

‘Facebook provides the perfect platform for social comparisons, with millions of profiles and information about people. And it’s free: materialists love tools that do not cost money!’