A recent study has shown that the regular use of Facebook may have a negative impact on users’ lives.
The Happiness Research Institute has recently released the results of a study it conducted on the use of social media and the impact it has on a person’s overall ability to feel happy in everyday life.
This research was conducted in Denmark and involved the participation of 1,095 people.
The group of participants was divided into two groups. The first group continued to use social media through Facebook, while the second group did not use their accounts. According to the Happiness Research Institute CEO, Meik Wiking, “We focused on Facebook because it is the social media that most people use across age groups.”
What the researchers discovered was that the people who didn’t use social media ware happier overall.
A week into the experiment, the participants who had not been using their social network accounts on Facebook said that they were feeling greater satisfaction in their lives than those who were continuing to be active in their profiles. Among those who were not using Facebook, 88 percent said that they would describe themselves as “happy” overall. Comparatively, among those who were using Facebook, 81 percent said that they felt the same way.
Among those who were not logging on, 84 percent said they appreciated their lives. Among those who were logging on, only 75 percent said they appreciated their lives. On the other end of the scale, among those who did not use their social network profile, only 12 percent said that they would describe themselves as dissatisfied. Among those who did use Facebook, 20 percent said they felt dissatisfied.
By the close of the experiment, the people who abstained from social media said that they had richer social lives and faced a reduced struggle with focus and concentration. Those who continued to use their Facebook accounts didn’t report any change in their concentration or their social lives. Overall, the report on the study said that Facebook users were 39 percent more likely to feel a lower level of happiness than those who do not use social networks.