This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Compulsive use of social media may be associated with a strong desire for reassurance among people who are afraid to rely on others and engage in face-to-face interactions, according to a study published Oct. 21, 2026, in the journal PLOS One by Chris Bjornsen and Allen Harbaugh of Longwood University in the U.S. The inherent tendency to create and maintain intimate emotional bonds throughout life is a basic component of human nature.
Attachment styles encompass secure, anxious, avoidant and fearful types. Secure attachment is associated with a high degree of trust in close relationships, whereas anxious attachment is characterized by a strong desire for closeness but intense worry about the availability of significant others. On the other hand, avoidant attachment is characterized by a preference for emotional distance, and fearful attachment is associated with a strong internal desire for relationship closeness combined with a high level of fear of the possible negative consequences of reliance on others.
Attachment anxiety and avoidance may promote different strategies for managing narcissistic insecurities. While grandiose narcissism is often associated with avoidant attachment, vulnerable narcissism is more commonly related to anxious attachment. Grandiose narcissism is characterized by high extraversion and a heightened need for admiration combined with a lack of empathy.
Vulnerable narcissism is also characterized by an elevated need for admiration, but this is combined with a tendency toward shyness, a dominant sense of shame regarding the strong need for others and hypersensitivity to imagined criticism. In the new study, Bjornsen and Harbaugh explored the relationship between attachment styles, narcissism and problematic social media use—impulsive, compulsive use designed to elevate one's mood, despite negative consequences. The 555 adult participants, who were recruited from social media and crowdsourcing apps, completed a 76-item online questionnaire.
The results showed that reported levels of problematic social media use were lowest among people with a secure attachment style, with increasing levels reported by those with avoidant, anxious and fearful attachment styles. Vulnerable narcissism was also associated with a higher level of problematic social media use, potentially to solicit relationship attention that is difficult to achieve in real life. By contrast, grandiose narcissism was not significantly associated with problematic social media use.
According to the researchers, study limitations include the lack of evidence for causal relations among the variables. In addition, the sample was limited to U.S. participants, so the results may not generalize across populations. However, the new study builds on past research by examining the potential roles of vulnerable narcissism and fearful attachment as correlates of problematic social media use.
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