If you've spent any time on Twitter, you've seen some serious humblebragging (often accompanied with a hashtag). Even if you've never heard of it, the word itself is pretty self-explanatory: to humblebrag is to say something self-deprecating while actually boasting or bragging about how great your life is. Need an example? “Ugh, I’m so sweaty and gross from my workout but these cute guys at the gym are still hitting on me—so embarrassing!”

It's obviously annoying to other people (researchers at Harvard discovered that the action actually made people less likable), but is humblebragging actually an effective way to make yourself feel better? According to an article on yahoo.com about the Harvard study, the answer is no.

Researchers say humblebragging is often the result of insecurity and competition on social media. People who do it want to self-promote but still seem modest, but it just comes off as trying to make others jealous, and no one wants that.

If you’ve found yourself guilty of humblebragging (don’t worry, we’ve all been there), stop yourself in your tracks and just share the good news without the added complaint. People who support you will want to celebrate your accomplishments, so don’t worry about sounding boastful!

Have you ever humblebragged on social media? How about the people you follow? Share in the comments below!

POSTED IN LIFE, In the News, social media