The average Facebook user spends almost an hour on the site every day, according to data provided by the company last year. A Deloitte survey found that for many smartphone users, checking social media apps are the first thing they do in the morning – often before even getting out of bed. Of course, social interaction is a healthy and necessary part of human existence. Thousands of studies have concluded that most human beings thrive when they have strong, positive relationships with other human beings.
A New, More Rigorous Study Confirms: The More You Use Facebook, the Worse You Feel
Research has long suggested that social media can be harmful to users’ wellbeing. But past studies have often failed to acknowledge people’s baseline sociability or social media usage levels. In a comprehensive new study, the authors examined the impact of Facebook usage on wellbeing over time, and found that using Facebook was consistently detrimental to mental health. Specifically, constant exposure to people’s carefully curated posts led people to make negative comparisons to their own lives, and the sheer quantity of social media interaction often detracted from their ability to enjoy real-life experiences. Although social media can often feel like meaningful social interaction, this research demonstrates that it’s no substitute for the real thing.