Have you been feeling a little down lately? Well, the amount of time you spend on Facebook could be the reason why.
According to a study released by the University of Michigan, the more you use Facebook, the more unhappy you become. The study was published in the journal PLOS One.
Researchers text messaged the 82 participants five times a day for two weeks to determine how Facebook effected their life. The questions ranged anywhere from loneliness to anxiety.
Students on the campus of Grand Rapids Community College seemed to agree with this study.
Mahlee Barnes had over 1,600 friends on his Facebook page. Recently, Barnes deleted his friends down to around 800 friends and says he feels happier about it. “I feel like whatever I put out, people actually listen compared to before,” Barnes said.
Some say that Facebook creates a type of social comparison.
“If your friends are out having a good time and having fun and you’re sitting home on the computer doing nothing then maybe some people will feel like they’re not invited and don’t feel as involved with other people,” Sam Griswold said.
Researchers offered a solution to the 1.1 billion users that are on Facebook; use it less. Evidently the key to happiness isn’t so much the latest and greatest ways to communicate, face-to-face and phone communication turns out to be a cure to the Facebook blues.
