“People with low self-esteem tend to be very cautious and self-protective,” says one of the researchers, psychologist Amanda L. Forest. “It’s very important to them to gain others’ acceptance and approval. … So given that, we thought people with low self-esteem might censor what they’re saying to present a kind of positive and likable self-image on Facebook.”

She and fellow psychologist Joanne V. Wood collected the 10 most recent status updates from 177 undergraduate volunteers who had completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. A team of objective “readers” then rated the updates based on how positive or negative they were.

People with low self-esteem posted far more negative updates than those with high self-esteem. Forest says they described a host of unhappy sentiments, from seemingly minor things like having a terrible day or being frustrated with class schedules to more extreme feelings of rage and sorrow.