Although social networks are a fairly new phenomenon by the standards of history, they have already become the subject of research for scientists. Now we will discuss how social networks affect our mental and physical state.
As an example, I will tell you the following: in 2017, the Royal Society of Health in Britain conducted a study among 1,500 young people aged 11 to 25 years. Respondents had to track their mood using the five most popular social networks.
Seven out of ten said that Instagram makes them feel worse because of the “cult of the body” and half of people aged 14-24 years reported that Instagram and Facebook exacerbate their anxiety. Two-thirds said Facebook makes them vulnerable to bullying. As the researchers emphasize, the negative consequences are particularly noticeable in users who spend days in social networks.
The following example will tell you about the impact of social media on stress levels.
Scientists invited 138 active users of the social network from 18 to 40 years old to the laboratory and asked them to answer questions about activity in social networks, well-being and stress levels. The participants also took a saliva sample to measure the content of the hormone cortisol.
One group of respondents had to give up Facebook for five days, and the other to use it as usual. As a result, people who did not use the social network, after five days, significantly decreased the level of the stress hormone, and the feeling of comfort increased.
Also, in 2018, the University of Pennsylvania conducted a study that showed that a causal relationship between the use of social networks and the negative impact on our psychological state really exists.
As a result, I can surely say that social networks can badly affect our lives. They can affect our mood, self-esteem, stress level, sleep and anxiety. Moreover, social networks can be some of reasons for depression and feeling of loneliness. So, do people really need so much social networks in their lives?
I do believe that social media increases peoples stress levels. It’s worth doing an experiment where you do not use social media platforms for a week. After that time, people tend to see that there is really nothing valuable there.