If you were looking for a reason to stop using the incredibly addicting social networking site, this study might just be that nudge you needed to get you to delete your account for good.
A new study done by the University of Michigan , found that Facebook use "actually predicts declines in a user's well-being." When you break it down, what the study says is that the more you use the social networking site, the less satisfaction you feel, the sadder you become.
"On the surface, Facebook provides an invaluable resource for fulfilling the basic human need for social connection," said U-M social psychologist Ethan Kross, lead author of the article and a faculty associate at the U-M Institute for Social Research (ISR)."But rather than enhance well-being, we found that Facebook use predicts the opposite result – it undermines it."
The study, which was originally published in the journal PLOS ONE , used 82 young adults, all well versed in the world of smartphones and social media. For two weeks, researchers sent each of the participants text-messages at random hours of the day, observing their reactions as well as their well-being.
Each text sent had links to a survey that asked random questions, such as: "How do you feel right now?", How worried are you right now?", "How much have you interacted with other people 'directly' since the last time we talked?" and "How much have you used Facebook since the last time we talked?".
At the end of the study, researchers were able to find the direct correlation between decreased well-being and increased Facebook usage, but found no evidence that Facebook undermined happiness.
People were not more likely to use Facebook when they felt bad. In addition, although people were more likely to use Facebook when they were lonely, loneliness and Facebook use both independently predicted how happy participants subsequently felt. "Thus, it was not the case that Facebook use served as a proxy for feeling bad or lonely," Kross said.
via Examiner National Edition Gadgets & Tech Channel Articles http://www.examiner.com/article/study-facebook-is-making-you-absolutely-miserable?cid=roadrunner