Study: Less depression after a week of stopping social media use

People who took a seven-day break from TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook reported an increased sense of well-being compared to the group that used social media. by search from the University of Bath.

Participants used social media an average of eight hours per week. They were surveyed about their baseline levels of anxiety and depression, and their sense of well-being, using three scientifically recognized tests. This sense of well-being increased in the group that had not been on social media for seven days, and in that group, feelings of anxiety and depression also decreased significantly.

“Many of our participants reported positive effects,” senior researcher Jeff Lambert said. “This suggests that even a short break from social media can have an effect.” Taking a break from social media can be part of the recommendations to help people with their mental health, he sat Researchers in the scientific journal Cyber ​​Psychology, Behavior and Social Networking.

Survey participants were asked to respond to statements such as “I feel optimistic about the future” and “I’ve thought clearly.” They were also asked how often they felt “less interest or pleasure in doing things,” nervousness and stress, and whether they had trouble stopping worrying.

More investigations

The study findings are consistent with previous studies in the United Kingdom and the United States, which have linked regular use of social media to increased depression and anxiety. It has not been determined whether social media use leads to psychological problems, or whether social media reinforces pre-existing feelings.

In the future, the researchers also want to measure effects for longer than a week and investigate whether there are differences in the impact of social media outages between different populations.