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Posting this on Instagram can hurt your relationships
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A new study says that romantic relationships and friendships alike are at stake when you post selfies on Instagram. - photo by Herb Scribner
A selfie is a pretty simple photo: Its you, standing alone, taking a photo.

Take too many, though, and that may be the only photo you take in the future.

This is according to a new study out of Florida State University, which found that the number of selfies you post on Instagram may affect your friendships and romantic relationships. Specifically, the way you feel about your Instagram selfie could impact your satisfaction, but also how you treat your friends.

The study, which looked at about 420 Instagram accounts for people ages 18 to 62 and how many selfies they took, found that people who responded well to their selfies were often satisfied. But those who responded negatively to their selfie felt less satisfied and had an increased chance of Instagram-related conflict, Fusion reported.

That conflict could really hurt your close relationships, as the study found that too much Instagram conflict led to increase relationship issues among couples and friends, Fusion reported.

The moral of the story? Do yourself a favor, put black tape over your front facing camera, and resist the urge to snap a selfie, Fusion explained. Youll thank yourself later.

This isnt the first time that selfies have been linked to causing relationship strife. A 2013 study from the U.K. found that people who post selfies on Facebook are often seen as less intimate by people in their network. That is to say, those people have more shallow relationships and friendships, Time magazine reported.

That study, done by the University of Birmingham, the University of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University, looked at 508 Facebook users who were on average 24 years old. The researchers asked the users to rank their emotional support for their friends, relatives, romantic partners and co-workers, and then compared their answers to how often they took selfies.

But the news wasnt all bad, Time reported. Too many selfies didnt matter for best friends, who said they actually liked seeing their friends post selfies on social media.

Thats why it may be a better practice to leave the selfies off Facebook and post them somewhere else.

Dont want to seem superficial but just cant break the selfie habit? The answer might be as simple as using a photo-messaging app, such as Snapchat, to give your best friends their selfie fix while keeping everyone else blissfully unaware, Time reported.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.