Facebook and Mental Health
You probably reached us via facebook, we are glad you did! Many of us use it several times a day to see what our friends are doing.
Facebook
can be both a blessing and a curse. While it can be a lot of fun to see
what acquaintances are doing, scroll through pictures, or just laugh
about cat videos, sometimes one can log off feeling unhappy. In the past
few years, the social media site has truly become a force of nature,
with more than 1.3 billion subscribers reported in 2014 [1].
Unsurprisingly, researchers have begun to study the site with intensity,
looking for the ways in which it may change the way we see ourselves
and others.
The field is still young, but for mental health, there have already been several interesting findings. Firstly, as any user will tell you, the site can be highly addictive. So much so, in fact, that a specialized scale has been developed to monitor Facebook addiction [2]. A recent meta-analysis demonstrated that lonely or bored users may start logging in with maladaptive frequency and giving up other worldly pleasures [3]. Other work has shown that use of the site can foster intense anxiety and feelings of social inadequacy [4].
But what about all the positive benefits of seeing friends or loved ones? A recent study has shown that Facebook may actually provide huge benefits to individuals suffering from depression [5]. Other studies have found similar effects in non-clinical populations, with Facebook having positive effects on social esteem and communication skills [6]. Thus, it appears that the jury is still out on social networking sites. We just need to always remember to treat Facebook as a tool of fun and casual social interaction, not a place for comparing ourselves with others or feeding ravenous egos.
But please, if you’re reading this article online, don’t forget to “like” it!
[1] http://bit.ly/1uZUCLf
[2] Andreassen et al, Psychol Rep, 2012
[3] Ryan et al, J Behav Addict, 2014
[4] http://bit.ly/1DCJOWj
[5] Mota Pereira, Scientific World Journal, 2014
[6] Pantic, Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw, 2014
Constance Holman, PhD student AG Schmitz
This article originally appeared in CNS Volume 7, Issue 4, Communication and Social Media
You probably reached us via facebook, we are glad you did! Many of us use it several times a day to see what our friends are doing.
 |
| Source: Wikimedia Commons |
The field is still young, but for mental health, there have already been several interesting findings. Firstly, as any user will tell you, the site can be highly addictive. So much so, in fact, that a specialized scale has been developed to monitor Facebook addiction [2]. A recent meta-analysis demonstrated that lonely or bored users may start logging in with maladaptive frequency and giving up other worldly pleasures [3]. Other work has shown that use of the site can foster intense anxiety and feelings of social inadequacy [4].
As any user will tell you, it’s highly addictive
But what about all the positive benefits of seeing friends or loved ones? A recent study has shown that Facebook may actually provide huge benefits to individuals suffering from depression [5]. Other studies have found similar effects in non-clinical populations, with Facebook having positive effects on social esteem and communication skills [6]. Thus, it appears that the jury is still out on social networking sites. We just need to always remember to treat Facebook as a tool of fun and casual social interaction, not a place for comparing ourselves with others or feeding ravenous egos.
But please, if you’re reading this article online, don’t forget to “like” it!
[1] http://bit.ly/1uZUCLf
[2] Andreassen et al, Psychol Rep, 2012
[3] Ryan et al, J Behav Addict, 2014
[4] http://bit.ly/1DCJOWj
[5] Mota Pereira, Scientific World Journal, 2014
[6] Pantic, Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw, 2014
Constance Holman, PhD student AG Schmitz
This article originally appeared in CNS Volume 7, Issue 4, Communication and Social Media
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