Why Facebook Makes You Depressed

Why Facebook Makes You Depressed - Some decades back, a brand-new kind of communication has actually conquered the globe by increasing dramatically the method individuals appreciate news and enjoyment: television. During that time tv was a huge action for mankind, even if there were people who had a various point of view. The poet and also playwright TS Eliot, for example, specified: "It is a tool of enjoyment which allows millions of individuals to listen to the exact same joke at the same time, but even so, they remain to be alone".

Now you could use the very same logic to socials media, especially Facebook, which in ten years has reached 1.3 billion subscribers, fifty percent of which passes approximately 18 minutes logged. Facebook attaches individuals around the world. However, the influence of this social media network is not as favorable as you could think.

Why Facebook Makes You Depressed

A raising variety of studies suggest that the opportunity to be "connected" with other individuals does not necessarily suggest to be better; as a matter of fact, it might adversely impact our state of mind, since many individuals are connected but still are alone.

Hereof, psychologists of the University of Michigan and also University of Louvain, have actually made a decision to grow the relationship in between the use of Facebook as well as an enjoyable life. These scientists asked a group of people to state five times a day for two weeks on their emotional state. So they discovered that the use of Facebook is connected with an inadequate health. They likewise located that people state they feel worse after going to the social media network, not previously.

Friendly World Syndrome: Everyone seems to be more happy and successful than us
Why the use of Facebook can influence our mood making us really feel worse? These psychologists show that of our standard requirements is the social contact. Interpersonal relationships are an unbelievable source of convenience. However the social media network does not offer us the type of social get in touch with we need to stay healthy and balanced.

One feasible description could be the straightforward envy. Besides, Facebook permits us to see the achievements of individuals with whom we have actually shed call. In addition, in a certain sense, this social media network has actually ended up being a collection of bluster, a location where people gather their successes at the office and also in their personal life, upload photos of their terrific family, of the costly automobile or the remarkable vacation.

As a matter of fact, this sensation has a name: the "pleasant world síndrome", which describes the tendency to think that every one of them have a much better life than us. This phenomenon is the outcome of an effect recognized by sociologists in 1970 called the "considerable world síndrome", according to which, people that saw a great deal of violence on tv believed the world was far more terrible than it really was. Something similar happens to us with Facebook, considering pictures as well as updates, we assume that the others are happier than us, which lowers our satisfaction with life as well as may even cause us clinical depression.

Popularity Contest: The friendship paradox
There could be another problem underlying the frustration and sadness that generates Facebook, the feeling that everyone is extra popular than us. It is called the "friendship mystery" due to the fact that, as a rule, our pals tend to have more good friends than us.

This sensation results from a basic mathematical factor: if you're an introvert, there is a great chance that amongst your buddies there are many extroverted people, which subsequently have numerous pals. It is a bias that becomes a lot more noticeable in social media networks due to the fact that with a quick look at the profile we can know just how popular our good friends are.

This exploration could sadden lots of people making them assume that they are not worthwhile of focus or love from their pals, as well as this could cause clinical depression.

What would happen if you stop using Facebook?
This question is what some psychologists of the Happiness Study Institute of Copenhagen asked themselves, and also to reply to it have hired more than 1,000 individuals of this social network. Half of them remained to make use of the internet daily, the other half has quit entirely.

It is notable that after only one week, 88% of individuals who have stopped making use of the social media reported feeling better, less upset, extra fired up, less depressed, and more satisfied with their lives. Similarly, it was noted that their tension level has decreased by 55%.

These psychologists have likewise located that we often tend to focus on what others have. The study disclosed that 5 out of 10 people envy the terrific experiences that upload on the social network, 1 out of 3 individuals envy the obvious happiness of others, and 4 of 10 envy the noticeable success of others.

Of course, isn't Facebook that is minimizing our contentment with life and makes us really feel bad, however our propensity to challenge as well as the cognitive biases that show up during the process. But the reality stays that the way in which this network is structured greatly helps with such contrasts.

For that reason, the best remedy is to focus on our real life, beyond the digital profiles, and also stay clear of contrasts that do not bring anything to us. We need to begin to focus on what we actually require, rather than on what others have.

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