Happiness and social media
Everybody on social media seems to be jet-setting all over the world, swimming in crystal clear waters or doing star jumps at the top of Machu Picchu or some other exotic location.
And there you are, scrolling through your feed before bed at a reasonable hour on a Friday evening.
Social media can make real life seem awfully mundane and depressing.
We decided to study this phenomenon. We asked people what they thought a week of no social media would do for their happiness.
Most people didn’t think it would have an effect.
Half of the group carried on Facebook using as normal. The second group had a week off social media completely.
And we found that it’s true - even just a week away from social media actually made people noticeably happier!
People who stayed on Facebook were 55% more stressed, whilst those who stayed off Facebook were 18% more likely to feel present in the moment.
This, of course, is largely due to the fact that people don’t publish the bad or boring sides of their life, and this gives everyone a false sense of reality.
Recent remarks by ex-Facebook executives even suggest we are being programmed to use the platform more and more, possibly creating a bias in our freedom of choice.
Now, we believe in moderation and balance, so we’re not telling you to go and delete all of your social media accounts. But it’s worth remembering that if you want to be happy, keep social media, and your time spent on it, to a minimum.
Want to learn more about what it takes to be happy? You might enjoy the posts 5 Happiness Hacks and 5 More Happiness Hacks.
And if you really like this stuff, take The Happy Course from the Happiness Research Institute over on 42courses.com
