A study by the University of Copenhagen indicates that browsing through social media such as Facebook especially during Christmas can create envious feelings and make one miserable instead of festive. Instead of enjoying the holiday photos and postings of holiday cheers, the user can instead turn green with envy.
Social media has made people "connected" without actually connecting with people since all the browsing is done through the internet. The study suggests that instead of lurking over social media, one should take a break and try actual and real connections.
Over a thousand people, mostly women participated in the study, which BBC said found out that a person's life satisfaction and emotional well-being can be negatively affected by excessive social media networking. Those who lurk in the social media sites tend to compare their social status resulting to unrealistic comparisons, mood deterioration, and envy.
The Cyberpsychology, Behaviour and Social Networking journal where the study was published shows that instead of just looking over the posts, one should engage other people by having real conversations through social media. Telegraph said disconnecting from the internet, even temporarily, is best done during Christmas since this is the time when most family and friends come to visit. However, some could not avoid but log in to their social media accounts.
According to The Sun, the research studied one group of participants who did not engage in Facebook for one week and another group who continued using their Facebook accounts. Those who stopped lurking in social media increased their life satisfaction, bolstering the findings that disconnecting from Facebook even temporarily can improve one's well-being.
Another study by the University of Pittsburgh shows that there is a higher tendency for excessive social media users to suffer from depression and other issues related to mental health compared to those who just use it occasionally. The risk of depression is three times higher among those who use various social media sites such as Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook.
So, do you agree with the study? Please sound off below.
