James Delahunty
15 Aug 2013 19:16
Research from the University of Michigan suggests that Facebook may negatively effect the well-being of young frequent users.
A study tracked participants for two weeks, finding that checking Facebook regularly tended to make people feel worse about themselves and their lives. The social networking giant boasts a billion members, half of whom log in every day.
"On the surface, Facebook provides an invaluable resource for fulfilling the basic human need for social connection. Rather than enhancing well-being, however, these findings suggest that Facebook may undermine it," said the researchers.
It adds to a body of evidence that Facebook use can have negative consequences, but Graham Jones of the British Psychological Society reminded the BBC website that there is also researching showing it has positive effects too.
Participants in the study were sent several messages per day that linked them to surveys to fill out that asked questions about how they felt, whether they were worried about anything and about whether they felt lonely, and most importantly how much they were on Facebook since filling out the last survey.
Results seemed to indicate that the more people used Facebook, the worse they felt afterwards. However, it was not clear whether people use Facebook more or less, depending on how they feel at the time.
Read details of the study here: www.plosone.org