The social media venue Facebook was designed to allow people social interaction from home and make them happy. A study from the University of Michigan has shown that the social networking site could actually have a negative effect on happiness and overall well-being.
The study used eighty-two young adults that were surveyed about their feelings and usage of the site. Researchers sent text to the participants for two weeks telling them to check in online. The results showed that the reduced happiness and undermined well-being by reducing interaction with people in actual social situations.
People were shown to feel worse after having used Facebook. The study did not reveal how they felt before or during use. Satisfaction with life decreased with increased use of the social media site. Well-being was not affected by having real life interactions with people.
The decline in happiness appeared to be linked to not being able to participate in the real life interactions and not knowing what they were missing.
Robert J. Smith is still early into his career as tech reporter but has already had his work published in many major publications including JoyStiq and Android Authority. In regards to academics, Robert earned a degree in business from Fordham University. Robert has passion for emerging technology and covers upcoming products and breakthroughs in science and tech.