10 Ways Social Media Affects

Our Mental Health

+ Degreed

Since the face of psychology is constantly changing, it is

impossible to end the History of Psychology series with a
definitive, and thats how psychology came to be. Separate
branches of the discipline have formed, medicine has become
staggeringly important in treatment and prevention of mental
illnesses, theories have formed and crumbled, and scholars have
dedicated their careers to advancing the field. The science has
been adapted by the masses, and has even become prevalent in
pop culture music (Blink 182s Stockholm Syndrome comes to
mind), television, and films have all explored mental illnesses and
treatments.
The series has only briefly outlined the sciences origins and
growth, and it continues to inspire many to study the workings of
the human mind. Luckily, those who came before us provided us
with the tools and terminology to hit the ground running and
discover incredible things they couldnt have even imagined.
More recently, the incorporation of technology into psychology
has made it possible to supplement therapeutic techniques with
computer-based counseling, test brain activity, and accurately
record and analyze complex data and thats not even the
beginnings of its potential influence on the field. Although
technology

will

undoubtedly

open

up

doors

for

the

next

generation of researchers, a Google search of psychology

technology actually leads to a number of pages dedicated to
explaining the effects of technology on our own minds.
The topic is broad enough to expand into dozens of articles, so
this top 10 list tackles only some of the most staggering results of
studies and surveys pertaining to social media. Chances are, if
youre reading this you participate in social media in some way or
another, so next time you go to check your Facebook, retweet an
interesting link, or choose an Instagram filter for a selfie, think
about the ways your brain is processing the seemingly endless
stream of information it is taking in.
1. Social media is addictive.
Studies show that 63% of Americans log on to Facebook daily, and
40% log on multiple times each day. People use the site for
myriad reasons; however, it usually serves, on some level, the
same basic purposes: distraction and boredom relief. Likes and
comments are positive reinforcement for posting information,
making it difficult for a person to stop. Researchers have found
this so common that they created a scale to measure this
addiction: The Berge Facebook Addiction Scale.
2. Social media makes us compare our lives with others.
Posts on social media many times present an idealized version of
whats happening, what something looks like, or how things are
going. This can lead users to constantly compare themselves to
others and think less of their own lives. If things are going
particularly well for people in your newsfeed and youre having a

rough day, of course this will likely negatively affect your mood. In
fact, in 2012 a team of researchers in the UK surveyed users, 53%
of whom said social media had changed their behavior; 51% said
it was negative behavior because of decline in confidence they
felt due to unfair comparisons to others.
3. Social media makes us restless.
Out of the same sample as the above example, two-thirds
admitted to having difficultly relaxing when unable to use their
social media accounts.
4. Social media gives rise to cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying is an enormous concern, especially for adolescents.
An organization that aims for internet safety, called Enough is
Enough, conducted a survey that found 95% of teenagers who
use social media have witnessed cyberbullying, and 33% have
been victims themselves.

CDC data

5. Social media glamorizes drug and alcohol use.

A study that explored the relationship between teenagers, social
media, and drug use found that 70% of teenagers ages 12 to 17
use social media, and that those who interact with it on a daily
basis are five times more likely to use tobacco, three times more
likely to use alcohol, and twice as likely to use marijuana. In
addition, 40% admitted they had been exposed to pictures of

people

under

the

influence

via

social

media,

suggesting

correlation between the two factors. Although a correlation is all it

is, it makes sense that social media would amp up the amount of
peer pressure to which teenagers are exposed.
6. Social media can make us unhappy.
A study from the University of Michigan collected data about
Facebook users and how it correlated with their moods. Simply
put, they found that the more avid users were overall more
unhappy than those who used the site less. Over more time, avid
users also reported lower satisfaction in their lives overall.
7. Social media can lead to fear of missing out, aka FOMO.
Fear of missing out is a phenomenon that occurs when you feel
pressure to be doing what everyone else is doing, attend every
event, and share every life experience. It can evoke anxiety and
cause social media users to question why everyone is having fun
without them. Surveys have even found that people feel insecure
after using Pinterest because they feel that they arent crafty or
creative enough. Facebook and Twitter can make people feel like
they arent successful or smart enough.
8. Social media often leads to multitasking.
How many tabs do you have open right now? How are you even
concentrating on one thing? The thing is, youre probably not
especially if one of those tabs is a social media site. Research has
shown that our brains dont have the capacity to fully focus our

attention on two things at once, and instead multitasking causes

our brain to quickly switch from one task to another. This hinders
information processing and productivity. Closing out your Twitter
feed can seriously help you get some work done.

Social media isnt all about selfie-taking narcissists, cyberbullies,

and killing productivity. When used in moderation with the right
intentions, it really can achieve what it was first set out to do:
connect people. Which brings us to

9. Social media enhances our connectivity.

A paper linking social media usage to the Freudian ideas of the id,
ego, and super-ego cites many examples of positive psychological
effects of social media. Perhaps one of the most important points
is that social media doesnt necessarily take us out of the real
world. It can instead be used to revive and preserve relationships
with other people. Even more exciting about this technological
world is that there is an incredible number of like-minded people
who can connect in just one click. Research presented in the
journal The British Psychological Society found that students who
experience low self-esteem can take advantage of social media
and its capability to bond them with others in order to pull
themselves up from slumps in their mood.
10. Social media can help with socialization.

Research presented at the 119th annual American Psychological

Association found that introverted adolescents can actually gain
social skills by using social media. In part, this is because shy
individuals may feel safer behind a computer screen (or
smartphone,

or

tablet,

or

well,

you

get

the

ideaits

everywhere). Dr. Larry D. Rosen, who presented the information,

also stated that teens were becoming very good at virtually
expressing empathy towards others.