Just How Harmful is Facebook? Research Suggests it is Bad For Your Health
Wednesday, January 9, 2019 IST
Reaffirms the fears about the impact on physical and mental health.
Let’s get one thing straight—a lot of us are addicted to Facebook, irrespective of whether we realise it or not. Be it on phones, laptops or even the smart tv, Facebook is everywhere. In one avatar or the other. All this, as it turns out, can be quite bad for your physical and mental health. We’ve heard it before, and researchers from the University of Surrey have given us a timely reminder too. In a research titled “Social media use and perceptions of physical health”, Dr. Bridget Dibb and her team of researchers from the University of Surrey illustrate the results of a survey done, to perceive self-esteem, physical health, and life satisfaction after active Facebook usage. The responses of as many as 165 respondents were analysed.
The research suggests that users who compare themselves to others based on what they see on social media profiles and posts, are also much more aware of physical ailments, including sleep issues, weight fluctuations, and muscle tension. Similar results were found for those experiencing anxiety and depression as well. “Younger participants reported more physical symptoms (worse physical health). Anxiety, depression and negatively interpreted comparison (downward and upward) were all associated with more physical symptoms (worse physical health),” suggests the report. Negatively interpreted comparisons were associated with more anxiety, depression and more physical symptoms, such as worse physical health.
This is perhaps just how social media works. Sites such as Facebook and Instagram allow users to portray a completely different picture (No pun intended) of themselves which followers and friends may perceive as reality. That may not be true. All those fancy cars and globe trotting may not exactly be how it is, but may have been portrayed in a way that would make those seeing the updates feel inadequate, hence developing physical and mental health issues.
With the constant scrolling through timelines to see what others have posted, waiting for "likes" and reactions to your posts as a source of validation and getting too involved in social media conversations can, as proved by this research and many before it, evoke negative reactions as well as cause health issues. It might just be time to log off from Facebook for a bit, and get some fresh air instead?
Related Topics
Related News & Articles
People are often ridiculed for being messy. They’re called lazy, unproductive, and often unintelligent. But the truth is that these assumptions are far from a...
Recently posted . 751 views . 3 min read
HIGHLIGHTS
Facebook claims there is no evidence of passwords being misused
Security experts warn about changing pas...
Recently posted . 840 views . 2 min read
Fingernails can serve as a visual indicator of our health, says the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). It behooves us, then, to care for our nails, and if nee...
Recently posted . 579 views . 2 min read
According to a study conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, your partner’s snore can cause severe damages to your health and increase...
Recently posted . 643 views . 1 min read
WASHINGTON: Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday he remains the best person to lead the social network despite acknowledging mistakes...
Recently posted . 595 views . 2 min read
Trending News & Articles
ALMATY: Hour upon hour, day upon day, Omir Bekali and other detainees in far western China's new indoctrination camps had to disavow the...
Recently posted . 199K views . 1 min read
If you have payed attention to the belly buttons of people on the beach or the members of your family, you have probably noticed that they have different shapes and...
Recently posted . 8K views . 2 min read
In this age of terror, there might be nothing more terrifying than the thought of an attack carried out with chemical weapons. We’ve all heard the horrific ...
Recently posted . 3K views . 4 min read
Body fitness is one thing that everyone wants to maintain irrespective of age. Going to the gym and doing some great exercise always helps to maintain your body fit...
Recently posted . 3K views . 2 min read
More in Global
You should walk away as you have probably been there multiple times before and you have had to learn the hard way that giving all of you will not mean that you get ...
Recently posted. 643 views . 3 min read
The researchers managed to send qubits – or units of quantum information – from a complex state to a simpler one using an algorithm.
Recently posted. 538 views . 1 min read
Dwayne Johnson has earned more money for acting in a single year than anyone in the history of the Forbes Celebrity 100 list. Here is how much he made.
Recently posted. 619 views . 1 min read
Recently posted . 765 views
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 1K views . 99 min read
Recently posted . 1K views . 67 min read
The power failed on a couple of lines serving southern Japan operated by Kyushu Railway Co., known as JR Kyushu, on May 30.
Recently posted. 656 views . 0 min read
By becoming fatalist do not put your life to misery. It is not good to blame circumstances. Be brave and believe in hard work. Lazy people generally offer strange...
Recently posted. 782 views . 2 min read