We need your help to continue reporting
Collaborate with Newtribuna
young adults People today use social media a lot, and this has led to concerns that social media may be harming their psychological well-being.
Psychological well-being encompasses individuals’ subjective experiences of affect and their satisfaction in specific life domains as well as globally. Distinctions are made between positive (satisfaction, positive affect) and negative (dissatisfaction, negative affect) aspects of well-being, as they may have some different correlates.
Coaching to build connections on social media, as well as reduce social media use, can improve users’ psychological well-being in different ways.
In twenty-eight previous experimental studies, it was found that more social media use resulted in worse well-being and in eight studies that found no effects, neither positive nor negative or mixed effects. Almost all studies included adolescents or emerging adults in samples not selected for psychopathology. Common outcome measures were symptoms of depression or anxiety, body image dissatisfaction, negative affect, and loneliness, although some measured life satisfaction and happiness.
Other influential studies find very small correlations between the amount of social media use by adolescents and worse well-being (greater depression, lower life satisfaction and happiness), but with effects so minuscule that they are meaningless in practice. . However, the negative associations between social media use and well-being may be somewhat greater when the sample is limited to girls. In summary, this literature concludes that, on the overall average, there may be a slight negative effect of social media use on well-being. One caveat, however, is that what people do on social media is rarely measured. There is heterogeneity in the correlations between the amount of social media use and users’ well-being across studies, which could reflect differences in what people do when they are on social media.
The mental health of young people may depend on as use social media, rather than how much time they spend using it, according to a new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia.
Negative associations between social media use and well-being may be somewhat greater when the sample is limited to girls.
The research, led by psychology professor Dr. Amori Mikami (she) and published this week in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Generalexamined the effects of abandoning social media compared to using it more intentionally.
The results showed that users who carefully managed their online interactions, as well as those who abstained from social media altogether, saw mental health benefits, particularly in reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression and loneliness.
This study found that young adults can be trained to use social media in a smarter way that helps them build meaningful and supportive online connections with others. The results suggested that coaching to build connections on social media, as well as reduce social media use, can improve users’ psychological well-being in different ways.
Key data from the study
- Intentional use of social media reduced loneliness and social comparisons.
- Complete abstinence reduced depression and anxiety, but did not improve loneliness.
- Tutorials on mindful use of social media fostered healthier, more meaningful connections.
Finally, share this reflection from Arthur Schopenhauer: “The social instinct of men is not based on the love of society, but on the fear of loneliness.”
#Young #people #social #networks #psychological #wellbeing
