A feeling of overall dissatisfaction pertaining to the manner in which you have currently chosen to end up living your life has become unfortunately rife in this modern day and age. In spite of the fact that this is the case, it turns out that there is a rather simple solution to fixing this problem: reducing social media usage.
This might sound like advice that has no bearing on how things work out here in the real world, but a recent study conducted by researchers working at the Ruhr University Bochum in Germany as well as the German Center for Mental Health suggest that there’s more to it. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that this study, which was published in the journal Behavior & Information Technology, has shown that reducing social media usage can have a significant impact on happiness as well as efficiency.
166 participants were included in the study, which lasted one week, and half of them were asked to reduce social media consumption by 30 minutes a day. The other group used social media at normal levels, and the group that reduced social media usage reported marked improvements across the board with all things having been considered and taken into account.
A sense of FoMO, or fear of missing out, was one of the many things that decreased. This seems to suggest that social media users are in a constant sense of dread since they feel like they are missing out on things that they should ideally be experiencing. Stress levels and addictive behaviors also declined, all of which made for a much more positive mental state.
An added benefit of reduced social media usage is that the people that committed to it ended up wasting less time at work. Such a trend is pertinent because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up improving efficiency in the workplace and also keeping the looming specter of workplace stress at bay.
It will be interesting to see if further studies end up confirming what this study appears to be suggesting. Social media usage and poor mental health have long been correlated, but studies like this are finally starting to reveal this correlation in a clinical setting.
Image: DIW
Read next: Social Media's Future: Half of Users Eyeing Exit by 2025 Due to AI Concerns
This might sound like advice that has no bearing on how things work out here in the real world, but a recent study conducted by researchers working at the Ruhr University Bochum in Germany as well as the German Center for Mental Health suggest that there’s more to it. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that this study, which was published in the journal Behavior & Information Technology, has shown that reducing social media usage can have a significant impact on happiness as well as efficiency.
166 participants were included in the study, which lasted one week, and half of them were asked to reduce social media consumption by 30 minutes a day. The other group used social media at normal levels, and the group that reduced social media usage reported marked improvements across the board with all things having been considered and taken into account.
A sense of FoMO, or fear of missing out, was one of the many things that decreased. This seems to suggest that social media users are in a constant sense of dread since they feel like they are missing out on things that they should ideally be experiencing. Stress levels and addictive behaviors also declined, all of which made for a much more positive mental state.
An added benefit of reduced social media usage is that the people that committed to it ended up wasting less time at work. Such a trend is pertinent because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up improving efficiency in the workplace and also keeping the looming specter of workplace stress at bay.
It will be interesting to see if further studies end up confirming what this study appears to be suggesting. Social media usage and poor mental health have long been correlated, but studies like this are finally starting to reveal this correlation in a clinical setting.
Read next: Social Media's Future: Half of Users Eyeing Exit by 2025 Due to AI Concerns
