There is a way to use Facebook, and then there’s many ways to use Facebook and get depressed. After over a decade of Facebook presence on the internet science has found interesting patterns in Facebook users and can tell us how we should surf Facebook and leave with a smile.
source: Social Media Blazer
The first scientific description of a new phenomenon called ‘Facebook Depression’ was in 2012 by the American Academy of Pediatrics. It describes how teenagers can feel alienated from excessive Facebook use. In the same year reports of remaining friends with ex-lovers delaying healing and more Facebook friends equaling more stress came to light.
Now, a much more sinister effect has become apparent to researchers. It’s something much more subtle than acute overuse; jealousy, envy and insecurity. Margaret Duffy, a researcher at the University of Missouri, described it as “surveillance envy”, which is created when you are browsing your Friend’s profiles and compare their lives to yours:
“Facebook postings about things such as expensive vacations, new houses or cars, or happy relationships can evoke feelings of envy among surveillance users.”
Courtesy of Newsy via Youtube
There is solid research backing her, with numerous studies saying that wealth…is just relative. So if you are looking through your Facebook friends, all of which have their lives’ highlights posted as a form of social advertisement, comparing your life to theirs in one way or another feels inevitable.
But don’t worry, you don’t have to abandon ship! There are patterns which lead to these negative emotions. Going back to the headline, Science has come up with these ground rules:
- Use Facebook to interact, not view
- Don’t keep on browsing your Friend’s profiles to ‘see what they are up to’.
- Don’t compare yourself to what you see on their profiles
I commented on Radu Nesiu’s article on Brains and Games, Yu Chieh (Brian) Cheng’s article on Weight Loss and Katherine’s article on Sleep Deprivation
