Why Facebook Makes You Depressed

Why Facebook Makes You Depressed - Some decades ago, a brand-new type of interaction has actually dominated the globe by expanding significantly the way people appreciate news as well as entertainment: television. Back then television was a large action for humanity, even if there were people who had a various viewpoint. The poet as well as playwright TS Eliot, as an example, mentioned: "It is a medium of entertainment which allows numerous people to listen to the same joke at the same time, yet however, they remain to be alone".

Facebook And Depression

Currently you might apply the exact same reasoning to social media networks, particularly Facebook, which in ten years has reached 1.3 billion subscribers, half of which passes an average of 18 mins logged. Facebook attaches people all over the world. Nevertheless, the impact of this social media is not as positive as you could assume.

Why Facebook Makes You Depressed


An increasing variety of researches recommend that the possibility to be "connected" with other individuals does not always indicate to be happier; as a matter of fact, it could detrimentally influence our state of mind, because many people are attached yet still are alone.

In this regard, psychologists of the University of Michigan as well as College of Louvain, have decided to strengthen the relationship between the use of Facebook and a rewarding life. These scientists asked a team of people to state five times a day for two weeks on their mood. So they discovered that making use of Facebook is connected with a poor well-being. They also discovered that people say they feel worse after visiting the social media, not in the past.

Friendly World Syndrome: Everyone seems to be more happy and successful than us
Why the use of Facebook can impact our state of mind making us feel worse? These psychologists show that of our fundamental needs is the social call. Interpersonal partnerships are an amazing source of convenience. However the social media network does not offer us the type of social contact we need to remain healthy and balanced.

One possible explanation could be the simple jealousy. After all, Facebook enables us to see the achievements of individuals with whom we have shed contact. Furthermore, in a certain sense, this social network has actually become a collection of bluster, a place where people accumulate their successes at work as well as in their individual life, upload pictures of their terrific household, of the costly vehicle or the phenomenal holiday.

In fact, this sensation has a name: the "friendly world síndrome", which refers to the tendency to think that every one of them have a much better life than us. This sensation is the result of an effect determined by sociologists in 1970 called the "significant world síndrome", according to which, individuals that saw a lot of physical violence on television assumed the world was far more terrible than it actually was. Something comparable occurs to us with Facebook, considering photos and also updates, we think that the others are better than us, which lowers our satisfaction with life and also may even cause us depression.

Popularity Contest: The friendship paradox
There could be one more problem underlying the dissatisfaction and sadness that generates Facebook, the feeling that everyone is more preferred than us. It is called the "relationship paradox" because, generally, our close friends tend to have more pals than us.

This phenomenon results from a simple mathematical reason: if you're an introvert, there is a great chance that amongst your buddies there are lots of extroverted people, which consequently have many buddies. It is a prejudice that becomes a lot more evident in socials media due to the fact that with a quick look at the profile we can know just how preferred our good friends are.

This discovery could sadden many individuals making them think that they are not deserving of focus or affection from their buddies, as well as this can trigger depression.

What would happen if you stop using Facebook?
This question is what some psycho therapists of the Happiness Research Study Institute of Copenhagen asked themselves, and also to react to it have actually recruited greater than 1,000 customers of this social media. Half of them remained to make use of the web daily, the other half has stopped entirely.

It is notable that after just one week, 88% of individuals who have actually stopped utilizing the social media network reported feeling better, much less mad, a lot more ecstatic, less depressed, and much more pleased with their lives. In a similar way, it was noted that their stress level has actually decreased by 55%.

These psycho therapists have likewise discovered that we have a tendency to focus on what others have. The research study exposed that 5 out of 10 people covet the wonderful experiences that publish on the social media, 1 out of 3 individuals envy the evident happiness of others, as well as 4 of 10 envy the evident success of others.

Certainly, isn't Facebook that is lowering our complete satisfaction with life and makes us really feel negative, but our tendency to face and the cognitive prejudices that appear during the process. Yet the reality continues to be that the way in which this network is structured significantly assists in such contrasts.

Therefore, the very best service is to concentrate on our real life, beyond the digital profiles, and also prevent contrasts that do not bring anything to us. We need to begin to focus on what we actually need, as opposed to on what others have.