The study’s subjects agreed to respond to national surveys put forth by Gallup between 20 (which helped researchers monitor their health, emotions, and social lives), and further, to talk with researchers about their health, social lives, and Facebook use.
UCSD’s Holly Shakya, an assistant professor of public health, and Nicholas Christakis, the director of the Human Nature Lab at Yale University, tracked the mental health and social interactions of 5,208 study participants over the course of two years. As the Wall Street Journal noted, “To put it baldly: The more times you click “like,” the worse you feel.” The study, which was recently published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, suggests that those who use Facebook more often are less satisfied with their lives and are less healthy than those who are more judicious in the number of times they log on. And given that the social network boasts a user base of around 2 billion people, that’s a rather alarming finding. As per a new study from the University of California, San Diego, and Yale University, Facebook use could be related to our health and happiness, and not in a positive way. Nataliya Popova / 123RFYou may be more connected to the world than ever, but when it comes to feeling closer, it’s a different story.
